An Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Soil Erosion in Shitai County

Abstract

Spatial distribution of soil erosion is studied in Shitai County, based on the universal soil loss equation and the GIS spatial analysis, the relationships between soil erosion, terrain, soil types, and land uses have been investigated in this paper. The results show that the total amount of soil erosion is 2850069.39 t/a in 2007. Moderate erosion area is predominant, occupying 34.16% of the region. Spatial distribution pattern of soil erosion is an obvious block distribution characteristic. Soil erosion is the strongest from 200m to 500m in different elevation zones in the study area. Soil erosion at a 15° to 30° incline is the strongest and the weakest is over 35°. Soil erosion in the northeast is the strongest, but soil erosion in the southeast is intermediate. The strongest erosion is in forestland soil of different land use types, and the second strongest is in grassland soil. Red soil and limestone soil have the most prominent erosion, while erosion in stony soil is the weakest.