What does the dust ball do during the great depression?

Answer 1

The Dust Bowl of the 1930s lasted about a decade. The primary area it effected was the southern Plains. The northern Plains were not hit so badly but the drought, the blowing dust, and the decline of agriculture in the region had a nationwide effect. The loss of agricultural production helped to lengthen the Depression, not only in the US but worldwide. The displaced farmers became the migrants described in John Steinbeck's, Grapes of Wrath. Families from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and Arkansas, packed what they could in cars and trucks and headed west. Most were aiming for California where they would become a class of migrant farmers, following the crops during the harvesting season. Poor farming techniques and years of depleting the soil led to the soil becoming susceptible to the winds. And when the winds came, the soil was picked up and "day became night." Wikipedia has an article dealing with the Dust Bowl.