How soil erosion can be beneficial and harmful at the same time Lets first define soil erosion. Soil erosion is the movement of soil particles from one place to another through different means. The factors that move soil are called agents of erosion . Some examples of agents of erosion are wind, water, and animals. Erosion can be harmful and beneficial at the same time through the following: Erosion can soften the riverbanks. This will lead to a wider river, but at the same time, it decreases the odds of flooding because the river is expanded. Thus, even when there is a heavy rain, the river can still contain the large volume of water. Erosion can soften and make slopes crumble, causing landslide and siltation. Erosion and weathering caused by earthworms can soften the soil. This makes them susceptible to crumbling or getting carried away when rain comes. This also increases the odds of siltation to the mountainside near the sea/shore. Siltation can cause eutrophication in th