Silt, sand, and every other kind of soil are swept from their natural positions and spritted away by the foaming waters as they surge down the steep slopes.

The stream or river which is flooded by these rushing waters roars down its narrow channel, tearing loose and undermining the jutting banks.

In some cases, it will break from its ordinary course to flood exposed fields and to carry away more soil.

As the speed of the stream increases its power to steal soil and carry it off is increased.

Engineers report that the carrying power of a stream is increased 64 times when its rate of flow is doubled.