Identify the correct order of the processes of soil-erosion from the following:

The standard progression of water-induced soil erosion begins with splash erosion, where raindrop impact detaches and ‘splashes’ soil particles — this is the initiating stage [1]. These detached particles are then removed more uniformly across the surface by sheet erosion as surface runoff transports thin layers of soil; sheet erosion is generally imperceptible but sets the stage for concentration of flow [2]. When runoff concentrates into small channels, sheet flows evolve into rill erosion, producing visible small channels; continued enlargement and coalescence of rills lead to gully erosion, forming large channels and ravines [2]. Thus the correct sequential order is: Splash → Sheet → Rill → Gully.

Sources

1. [1] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 25: Agriculture > Splash €rosion > p. 369
2. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 6: Environmental Degradation and Management > types of Soil Erosion > p. 18