[2] The Bubnoff unit is employed in geology to measure rates of lowering of earth surfaces due to erosion[3] and is named after the Russian (German-Baltic) geologist Serge von Bubnoff (1888–1957).
[4] An erosion speed of 1 B also means that 1 m3 of earth is being removed from an area of 1 km2 in 1 year.
[5] Compared to everyday phenomena, erosion is under most circumstances (excluding rapid events like landslides) an extremely slow process, calling for such a specialized unit.
For instance, the current average rate of erosion over the Earth's landmasses has been estimated at 30 B (30 m in a million years).
As an extreme example, the watershed area of the Semani River in Albania is eroding at a rate of almost 3000 B (3 millimeters per year), the river having been estimated to transport about 4600 tons of earth per year from the average square kilometer in its watershed.