Soil movement on irregular slopes

Soil loss and runoff were measured from concave, uniform, and convex slopes subjected to simulated rainfall. Fluorescent glass particles and microrelief measurements were used to determine soil movement patterns in the slopes. For slopes of equal average steepness, a concave shape greatly reduced the total sediment loss in comparison with that from either a uniform or convex slope. Average slope steepness was not a good indicator of soil delivery past a given point except for a uniform slope. In general, soil losses from irregular slopes depend on the steepness of a short section of that slope immediately above the point of measurement. Soil movement off the plots was primarily transport by raindrop splash to a rill system and then transport down the slope by runoff in the rill system. A breakdown of the rill system occurred on the bottom of the concave slopes because of decreasing local steepness, resulting in sheet flow and sediment deposition.