What was NOT a primary cause of the Dust Bowl?

What was NOT a primary cause of the Dust Bowl?

• A. Prolonged drought and wind erosion
• B. Heavy rainfall causing flooding
• C. Over-plowing and poor land management
• D. Surface water quickly draining into cracks in the soil

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that the Dust Bowl was driven by a long drought combined with strong winds that carried away exposed topsoil, all made worse by farming practices that overworked the land and removed protective grasses. The notion of surface water draining quickly into cracks reflects a response to extreme dryness and soil cracking, not a process that creates wind-blown dust. The storms arose because dry, loose soil was easily picked up by wind, not because water movement into cracks propelled erosion. Heavy rainfall causing flooding isn’t consistent with the drought conditions and isn’t the mechanism behind the dust storms.

The main idea is that the Dust Bowl was driven by a long drought combined with strong winds that carried away exposed topsoil, all made worse by farming practices that overworked the land and removed protective grasses. The notion of surface water draining quickly into cracks reflects a response to extreme dryness and soil cracking, not a process that creates wind-blown dust. The storms arose because dry, loose soil was easily picked up by wind, not because water movement into cracks propelled erosion. Heavy rainfall causing flooding isn’t consistent with the drought conditions and isn’t the mechanism behind the dust storms.