what is sheet erosion
Sheet erosion is the uniform removal of soil in thin layers by the forces of raindrops and overland flow. It can be a very effective erosive process because it can cover large areas of sloping land and go unnoticed for quite some time. Sheet erosion can be recognized by either soil deposition at the bottom of a slope, or by the presence of light-colored subsoil appearing on the surface. If left unattended, sheet erosion will gradually remove the nutrients and organic matter which are important to agriculture and eventually lead to unproductive soil.