Environmental factors affecting temporal and spatial dynamics of soil erosion in Xingguo County, South China

By using soil erosion maps of four different time periods and a digital elevation model (DEM), in combination with the remote sensing and GIS technologies, soil erosion dynamics in Xingguo County of Jiangxi Province in South China were analyzed on both temporal and spatial scales in soils of different parent materials, altitudes and slopes. The results showed that from 1958 to 2000 severe soil erosion was coming under control with a decreasing percentage of the land under severe erosion. It was also found that the soils developed from Quaternary red clay, granite and purple shale were more susceptible to soil erosion and that areas sitting between 200 to 500 m in altitude with a slope less than 3° or between 7° to 20° where human activities were frequent remained to be zones where soil erosion was most likely to occur. These areas deserve special attention in monitoring and controlling. © 2005 Science Press.