Abstract
Gully systems develop widely in the Yuanmou Dry-hot Valley. Based on the Scheidegger method and the non-parametric method, this study interpreted 1599 gullies using a DEM with a scale of 1:50,000, and remote sensing images were photographed by QuickBird. The objectives are to explore the regularity that is shown in the distributive direction of the gully system and to understand the factors (including aspect, slope, and the neotectonic stress field) that control the distributive direction of the gully system. The results show that (1) the maximum “dominant” direction of the overall, the third and fourth order, the east, above 1400 m gully are 270°; the “dominant” direction 270° has relative superiority. So 270° is the “dominant” direction of the gully system in the Yuanmou Dry-hot Valleys area. (2) The slope of 38° is the threshold value which separates the overall slope range. When the slope is in the range 0–38°, the slope is the dominant factor; when the slope is in the range 38–59°, aspect is the dominant factor. So, with the increase of slope, 38° is the threshold value, and the dominant topographic influence is changed from slope to aspect. (3) The direction of the compressive stress field, 157.5°, is proven not to conflict with the directions 146.3, 157.5, 169, and 180° that are the principal compressive stresses calculated for the gully system. So the collision and extrusion of plates can form fracture surfaces which provide a favorable condition for the development of drainage and gullies. The distributive direction of the gully system is comprehensively affected by the neotectonic stress field, the terrain, and other factors. Therefore, the study of the distributive direction of the gully system not only enriches the content of morphology on the landform but can also be the basis for the evolutional direction of the gully system that is effectively predicted in the study area, and it provides scientific guidance for industrial and agricultural production layout and the construction of infrastructure.
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