USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Economic depression coupled with extended drought, unusually high temperatures, poor agricultural practices and the resulting wind erosion all contributed to making the Dust Bowl.

Detailed explanation-2: -EMMA 352 Page 2 Human Causes People also had a hand in creating the Dust Bowl. Farmers and ranchers destroyed the grasses that held the soil in place. Farmers plowed up more and more land, while ranchers overstocked the land with cattle. As the grasses disappeared, the land became more vulnerable to wind erosion.

Detailed explanation-3: -Crops began to fail with the onset of drought in 1931, exposing the bare, over-plowed farmland. Without deep-rooted prairie grasses to hold the soil in place, it began to blow away. Eroding soil led to massive dust storms and economic devastation-especially in the Southern Plains.

Detailed explanation-4: -A combination of aggressive and poor farming techniques, coupled with drought conditions in the region and high winds created massive dust storms that drove thousands from their homes and created a large migrant population of poor, rural Americans during the 1930s.

Detailed explanation-5: -Contributing Factors Due to low crop prices and high machinery costs, more submarginal lands were put into production. Farmers also started to abandon soil conservation practices. These events laid the groundwork for the severe soil erosion that would cause the Dust Bowl.