Spatial Distribution Characteristics Research Articles

Spatial distribution and migration characteristics of heavy metals at an abandoned industrial site in the Southwest of China

The rapid acceleration of global industrialization has rendered heavy metal contamination at abandoned industrial sites a severe challenge, particularly in geologically complex and fragile karst regions of Southwest China, posing significant threats to ecosystems and public health. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive understanding of the spatial distribution and migration mechanisms of heavy metals in this region. In this study, 523 soil samples and 30 groundwater samples were collected, and the pollution levels were systematically assessed using the Geo-Accumulation Index, Single Pollution Index, and Nemerow Integrated Pollution Index. Horizontal and vertical spatial heterogeneity was explored through Moran's I and Voronoi polygon analysis. Furthermore, 3D geological modeling and groundwater flow simulations were employed to investigate the influence of hydrogeological conditions on contaminant migration. The results indicate elevated concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb, and As in the surface layer, with concentrations initially decreasing and then increasing with depth, likely due to the presence of discontinuous clay layers. Moran's I revealed significant clustering effects at depths of 0.2 meters and 4 meters, while Voronoi analysis confirmed vertical heterogeneity. This study provides a scientific basis for pollution assessment and targeted remediation in karst regions.

A Deep Learning Framework for Supersonic Turbulent Combustion

The rapid simulation of supersonic turbulent combustion is a significant demand in scientific research and engineering applications for hypersonic vehicles. This paper proposes a deep learning framework for fast predicting unsteady turbulent combustion flow fields within the combustor of hypersonic vehicles. Based on convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networks, this framework extracts spatial distribution characteristics of the flow fields and temporal evolution rules. And we enhance the traditional mean square error loss function by assigning loss weights to different channel data. Numerical simulations are conducted on the model scramjet combustor with various geometric structures to generate the dataset for training, and part of the untrained cases are used to verify the effectiveness. The results show that the proposed model, under different geometric structures, achieves high computational accuracy, with a correlation coefficient between the predicted results and the true values above 0.99. Considering the time cost of data transferring between heterogeneous systems, the model takes only 30 seconds to complete the calculation, representing an acceleration of at least two orders of magnitude compared to computational fluid dynamics. In the future, it can be applied to the rapid prediction of hypersonic vehicle performance and efficiently guide the optimal design of aircraft.

Architectural spatial distribution and network connectivity characteristics of ancient military towns in Southwest China: a case study of Qingyan Ancient Town in Guiyang

AbstractDue multiple influences, such as Tusi, Tunpu, and minority culture, Tunpu military towns in Southwest China have unique historical and cultural heritage. At present, the ancient Tunpu military towns are not widely known internationally. In order to understand the layout characteristics of Tunpu military buildings in southwest China since the Ming Dynasty, the spatial distribution and military attributes of Qingyan Ancient Town, a typical military town of Tunpu culture, are studied by using Thiessen polygons, fractal theories, and complex network methods. The findings indicate that architectural spaces in the six districts have high spatial self-similarity and low spatial complexity and are distributed in clusters primarily impacted by natural factors and supplemented by humanistic factors. The architectural space networks of the six districts have high stability, low vulnerability, poor balance, and high connectivity. They reflect its interior architectural layout, which is based on close cooperation between villagers and military, taking into account trade and cultural life. Differences in the functionality of buildings lead to differences in the connectivity of the spatial network of buildings; the hierarchical, graded, and differentiated characteristics of architectural spatial network connectivity are influenced by both nature and society. Non-military functions all serve or are subordinate to military functions. The spatial network connectivity of traditional settlement architecture reflects the interaction between nature and society. By studying a Tunpu military ancient town in the southwest, we can better understand the historical military activities, cultural connotations, social changes, and historical background of traditional settlements. The historical planning of the defence of traditional settlements both contributes to its cultural heritage and as an important reference and inspiration for modern planning and management.

Time Series Clustering of Sea Surface Temperature in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Marine System

ABSTRACTSea surface temperature (SST) is a significant climatic variable that affects the climate of the Earth. Monitoring a location's SST pattern is useful for several research areas, including weather forecasting and climate change. In this study, the emerging hot spot and cold spot patterns of SST in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Marine System (MBMS) were examined, the spatial distribution characteristics and temporal changes of SST in the sub‐basins were analysed, and future predictions were made. A distinctive aspect of the research lies in the introduction of novel techniques, specifically the application of space time cube and evolving hot spot analysis, for visualising and evaluating SST in the MBMS. This approach sets the study apart by pioneering the utilisation of these methods in this particular context. In the examined region, SST demonstrates a decreasing trend from east to west and from south to north. The forecast suggests that this spatial distribution pattern will persist in 2033, further accentuated by the intensification of the warming effect. Nine different time series clusters are defined within this distribution pattern. Although it changes seasonally, the prevailing statistically significant hot spots in the study area are primarily characterised by new hot spots, intensifying hot spots, sporadic hot spots and oscillating hot spots. The trends of hot and cold spot clusters, along with SST values, were assessed for all sub‐basins in the MBMS. Conversely, the observed clustering category among statistically significant cold spots is identified as persistent cold spots, diminishing cold spots, sporadic cold spots, oscillating cold spots and historical cold spots. The spatiotemporal analysis in this research has provided notable insights, offering a spatial context to the previously explored temporal trends of SST in the MBMS.

Spatial Analysis of Lung Cancer Patients and Associated Influencing Factors from the Perspective of Urban Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China

With global environmental changes, lung cancer has become one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, posing a significant public health challenge. Jiangsu Province, located in the eastern part of China, is an economically and socially developed region. According to the latest cancer registration data in Jiangsu Province, lung cancer ranks first in both incidence and mortality of cancer in the province. Thus, studying the spatiotemporal distribution of lung cancer cases and analyzing the influence of various factors on this distribution are crucial for the effective prevention and control of the disease in Jiangsu Province. This study takes the statistical data of lung cancer patients in Jiangsu Province in 2020 as the research object, uses Geographic Information System (GIS) visualization and spatial analysis to study the spatial distribution characteristics of lung cancer patients in Jiangsu Province, and employs the geographical detector to numerically express the impact of various environmental factors on the distribution of lung cancer patients in Jiangsu Province. The results reveal a notable spatial clustering of lung cancer cases, with high-incidence areas concentrated in Suzhou, Nanjing, and Xuzhou cities. Among the seven environmental factors examined, PM2.5, SO2, and PM10 concentration exert the most significant influence. This study employs multifactorial spatial analysis to elucidate the intricate relationships between people’s health and air quality, medical resource distribution, and lung cancer incidence in the process of pursuing sustainable development in cities and provides an important reference for the improvement in lung cancer prevention and control strategies.

Lactylation Modification as a Promoter of Bladder Cancer: Insights from Multi-Omics Analysis

Bladder cancer (BLAC) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality. The establishment of a prognostic model for BLAC is of great significance for clinical prognosis prediction and treatment guidance. Lactylation modification is a newly discovered post-transcriptional modification of proteins, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. Multiple omics data of BLAC were obtained from the GEO database and TCGA database. The Lasso algorithm was used to establish a prognostic model related to lactylation modification, and its predictive ability was tested with a validation cohort. Functional enrichment analysis, tumor microenvironment analysis, and treatment response evaluation were performed on the high- and low-risk groups. Single-cell and spatial transcriptome data were used to analyze the distribution characteristics of model genes and their changes during epithelial carcinogenesis. A prognostic model consisting of 12 genes was constructed. The survival rate of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group. The multiple ROC curve showed that the prediction efficiency of the model was higher than that of the traditional clinical tumor grading. Functional enrichment analysis showed that glycolysis and hypoxia pathways were significantly upregulated in the high-risk group. The high-risk group was more sensitive to most first-line chemotherapy drugs, while the low-risk group had a better response to immunotherapy. Single-cell sequencing analysis revealed the dynamic changes of model genes during the transition of epithelial cells to squamous-differentiated cells. Spatial transcriptome analysis showed the spatial distribution characteristics of the model genes. The lactylation-related models have a satisfactory predictive ability and the potential to guide the clinical treatment of BLAC. This model has significant biological implications at the single-cell level as well as at the spatial level.

Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Carbon Emissions and Influencing Factors in the Yellow River Basin

The spatial distribution and trend of carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin—an important ecological barrier and economic belt in China—directly affect the stability of the ecosystem and the sustainable development of the regional economy. Based on the data for carbon emissions in China’s counties from 1997 to 2017, this paper utilizes standard deviation ellipses, Theil index nested decomposition, and geographic detector models to make a comprehensive description of the spatial and temporal distribution and dynamic evolution characteristics of carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin. Factors influencing carbon emissions are also analyzed from multiple dimensions. According to the findings, (1) carbon emissions at the county level show a clear upward trend without reaching a peak, exhibiting a spatial distribution of higher emissions in the east and lower in the west and higher in the south and lower in the north, with the mid-lower reaches being the center. The junction of the Shandong, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces further exhibits a significant expansion, forming two core areas of carbon emissions. (2) Carbon emissions at the county level in the Yellow River Basin are influenced by both economic and geographic factors, exhibiting a significant high carbon spillover effect and a low carbon lock-in effect. The gravity center of the distribution has shifted towards the mid-lower reaches, with the upper reaches displaying dispersion tendencies. (3) Intra-regional disparities are the main source of the overall spatial differences in carbon emissions, with the largest disparities being observed in the upper reaches, followed by the middle reaches, and the smallest disparities being observed in the lower reaches. Further analysis shows that the level of economic development is the primary factor influencing the spatial variation of carbon emissions, and the combined effects of population size and industrial agglomeration are the key drivers of the annual growth in carbon emissions.

Characteristic spatial and frequency distribution of mutations in SCN1A

BackgroundSCN1A is the most well-recognized and commonly mutated gene related to epilepsy. This study analyzed the characteristic spatial and frequency distributions of SCN1A mutations, aiming to provide important insight into the mutagenesis etiopathology of SCN1A-associated epilepsy.MethodsEpilepsy-associated SCN1A variants were retrieved from the SCN1A mutation database, the HGMD database, and literature reviews. The base substitutions, mutation frequencies in CpG dinucleotides, and spatial distributions of mutations in terms of exons and structural domains were analyzed.ResultsA total of 2621 SCN1A variants were identified in 5106 unrelated cases. The most common type was missense mutation, followed by frameshift mutations and splice site mutations. Among the missense mutations, transitions within CpG dinucleotides were much more recurrently identified than transitions within non-CpG dinucleotides, and the most common type was the G > A transition. Among the nonsense mutations, the most predominant type of single-base substitution was the C > T transition, among which 75.3% (235/312) were within CpG sites. The most common “hotspot” codons for missense mutations were codons 101, 946, and 1783; while for nonsense mutations it was codon 712. One-base deletion or insertion was the most common type of frameshift mutation, causing protein truncation. The three most common frameshift mutations were c.5536_5539delAAAC, c.4554dupA, and c.5010_5013delGTTT. Splice mutations were the most frequently identified in exon 4 with a hotspot site c.602 + 1G > A. The spatial distribution of missense mutations showed that exons 22 and 4 had the highest mutation density (111 and 84 mutations per 100 bp, respectively), and exon 12 had the lowest mutation density, with 4 mutations per 100 bp. Further distribution analysis of the protein domains revealed that missense mutations were more common in the pore region and voltage sensor (231 mutations per 100 amino acids, respectively), and the protein truncation mutations were distributed evenly among the domains.ConclusionsSCN1A mutations tend to cluster at distinct sites, depending on the characteristic CpG dinucleotides, exons, and functional domains. Higher mutation density in particular regions, such as exon 22 and exon 4, offers promising targets for therapeutic genetic interventions.

Correlation analysis of landscape patterns and urban thermal environment in Kunming based on a panel data model

With the development of urbanization, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the urban landscape pattern play a decisive role in the intensity of the urban heat island (UHI) effect. A panel data model was constructed to study the relationship between the UHI effect and landscape pattern in Kunming from 1995 to 2020 at four different scales. The results indicate: (1) The landscape pattern of Kunming changed obviously with time, the artificial patch increased, the natural patch decreased, and the UHI effect became more and more obvious; (2) With an increase in scale, the number of influencing variables continues to grow, and the impact of artificial patches gradually intensifies; (3) The normalized difference water index (NDWI) has the greatest influence on the UHI, and the cooling effect is more obvious with the increase in scale. Unlike previous studies, the spatial configuration of the landscape in Kunming City had a stronger effect on the UHI effect than the landscape grouping and vegetation index; (4) This paper introduces the panel data model into the discussion of the UHI for the first time, providing a new method for better understanding the changing patterns of the urban thermal environment.

Research on the Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Inhalation Health Risk Assessment of Bacterial Aerosols in Spraying Environments

Research on the Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Inhalation Health Risk Assessment of Bacterial Aerosols in Spraying Environments

Study on optimization of maize irrigation scheduling in Shaanxi Province

With the impact of climate change in recent years, the instability of precipitation and the increase of evaporation have made water resources in Shaanxi Province more and more stressed. How to maintain stable economic development while ensuring the sustainable development of agriculture within the limited water resources has become an important issue facing Shaanxi Province. This paper analyzes the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of maize irrigation water requirement in Shaanxi Province based on meteorological data and obtains the ideal irrigation water requirement. However, considering the agricultural water scarcity issue in this region, this paper establishes different water scarcity scenarios, adopts the Jensen model to construct an objective function aimed at minimizing crop yield reduction, and solves it using a genetic algorithm to obtain the optimized maize irrigation scheduling under different water scarcity scenarios. The results analysis indicates the following: (1) The effective rainfall in Shaanxi Province from 1960 to 2019 shows a slight upward trend, while the maize water requirement and maize irrigation water requirement shows a downward trend. (2) The spatial distribution of maize irrigation water requirement in Shaanxi Province decreases gradually from north to south. High-value areas are mainly distributed in the northern regions of Yulin City and Yan’an City in Shanbei. Low-value areas are distributed in Ankang City in Shannan. (3) In the face of water scarcity, spring maize should ensure water use during the middle growth period, fast development period, and initial growth periods. Under the same water scarcity conditions, the yield reduction rate is the highest in Guanzhong, followed by the Shannan, and the lowest in Shanbei. This paper aims to provide a scientific and reasonable optimization plan for maize irrigation in Shaanxi Province by calculating and analyzing the maize irrigation water requirement in Shaanxi Province, combined with optimization tools such as genetic algorithms, to address the challenges brought by water resource constraints.

Biosynthesis-Based Spatial Metabolome of Condensed Tannin Reveals Its Role in Salt Tolerance of Non-Salt-Secretor Mangrove Kandelia obovata.

An autofluorescent inclusion (AFI) specifically accumulated in mesophyll cells (MCs) of non-salt-secretor mangrove was found to be related to salt, but its biosynthesis and spatial distribution characteristics remain unclear. Here, Kandelia obovata served as the experimental material, and the composition of AFI was identified as condensed tannin (CT). Na contents increased in purified AFIs under NaCl treatment, while Na+ efflux in MCs was lower than the control. In vitro, Na+ addition caused aggregations of AFIs. Proteins related to Na+/H+ and vesicle transport were identified in the purified AFIs by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. TEM images revealed the structures involved in CT biosynthesis in chloroplasts and CT accretions in vacuoles were more visible under higher salinity. Spatial metabolomics analysis on flavonoid metabolites involving in CT biosynthesis illustrated those flavonoids and three CT monomers were positively related to salt in MCs. Real-time quantitative PCR verified the genes encoding enzymes for CT biosynthesis were upregulated accordingly. Taken together, CT biosynthesis is positively correlated with Na accumulation in leaves. The CTs synthesized in chloroplasts are transported as shuttles to vacuole via cytoplasm, facilitating the sequestration and compartmentalization of excessive Na+ ions into the vacuole, which confers non-salt-secretor mangrove K. obovata a higher salt tolerance.

Investigation of spatial distribution characteristics of emission intensity in detachment on the divertor simulator TPDsheet-ICR

For the first time, we have revealed the spatial structure of a detached plasma with electron–ion recombination (EIR) and molecular-activated recombination (MAR) in response to changes in ion temperature (Ti) and gas pressure. This was achieved using high-density sheet plasma generated by a linear divertor simulator (TPDsheet-ICR). The parallel-plate electrodes were positioned above and below the sheet plasma (∼1019 m−3). We varied the Ti from 3 to 7 eV using ion cyclotron resonance heating and investigated the parameters of the detached plasma near the target in the divergent field region. Plasma emission intensities at Balmer series (Hα and Hγ) and Fulcher band wavelengths (610 ± 10 nm) were measured with a high-speed camera equipped with an Arbaa prism. Additionally, a Langmuir probe measured the electron density and temperature of the plasma. Our results show that as the Ti increases, EIR generated near the plasma periphery disappears, while MAR gradually forms near the plasma center during the transition from detached to attached plasma. This transition occurs because the increase in Ti in the detached plasma transfers energy from ions to electrons, raising the high-energy component of the electrons, resulting in EIR disappearance and the onset of MAR.

Spatial Coordination Analysis and Development Methods of the Catering Sector in Yongkang City

The catering sector is recognized as a crucial driver for stimulating domestic consumption and fostering sustained economic growth. A scientifically informed spatial planning of the catering sector in county-level cities can help mitigate the overconcentration or excessive dispersal of resources, thereby enhancing the efficiency of land and commercial resource utilization, reducing waste, and promoting sustainable development within a county’s economy. This study focuses on Yongkang City, located in central Zhejiang Province, as a case study. Using Python 3.1 software to extract point-of-interest (POI) data, spatial analysis techniques such as standard deviation ellipses and kernel density estimation are employed to elucidate the spatial distribution characteristics of the catering sector, comprehensive transportation, and public services in Yongkang City. Furthermore, a coupling coordination degree model is utilized to quantify the coupling coordination degrees between the catering sector and comprehensive transportation (D1), as well as between the catering sector and public services (D2), ultimately assessing the overall coupling coordination degree among the three sectors (D3). Based on the analysis results, the coupling coordination degrees are categorized into five levels, followed by a detailed evaluation of the catering sector’s development across different subdistricts. The findings indicate a certain degree of spatial imbalance in the distribution of the catering sector in Yongkang City, with the western region exhibiting a more favorable development trajectory. Notably, Dongcheng Subdistrict achieved the highest coupling coordination degree (0.993), while the northern region, hindered by underdeveloped economic conditions and limited transportation infrastructure, exhibited the lowest coordination degree (0.098). Considering the unique developmental characteristics and current conditions of each subdistrict, this study advocates for the formulation of a long-term sustainable development plan for the catering sector in Yongkang City. The findings of this research may offer valuable insights for other regions and countries, thereby promoting the sustainable advancement of the catering sector.

Corrigendum to “Characteristics of the low-pressure spatial and temporal distributions of oil- and gas-bearing layers in the Ordos Basin, China” [Int. J. Coal Geol. 2024 (285) 104476

Corrigendum to “Characteristics of the low-pressure spatial and temporal distributions of oil- and gas-bearing layers in the Ordos Basin, China” [Int. J. Coal Geol. 2024 (285) 104476

Development and Application of a Tornado Database for the Chinese Mainland

This study develops a preliminary tornado database for the Chinese mainland using information provided by the Yearbook of Meteorological Disasters in China (YMDC) from 2003 to 2019 and other public media report data. This database includes tornado occurrence time, geographical location, intensity, and damage descriptions. A modified Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale criterion adapted to the description of the damage indicator (DI) and degree of damage (DOD) in the YMDC and media reports is presented to better estimate the tornado intensity. The spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of tornadoes in Chinese mainland are examined. A stochastic simulation algorithm is proposed to perform a risk assessment of tornado hazards. The occurrence of tornadoes is randomly sampled using negative binomial distribution. The kernel density estimation (KDE) method based on the Gaussian kernel is applied to estimate the probability density of geographically dependent tornado occurrence before randomly generating tornado occurrence locations. The probability and conditional probability of tornado occurrence with different intensity levels are calculated for different counties in Jiangsu and Guangdong Provinces using Bayes’ theorem. The database provides a forward step toward rational assessment of tornado-induced disasters in Chinese mainland. The database can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.4121/19801633.v1 (Zhang et al., 2022).

Defect detection using spatial spectral entropy for noncontact acoustic inspection method

Inspection of concrete structures is important for maintaining social infrastructure such as tunnels and viaducts. Therefore, noncontact acoustic inspection method using acoustic irradiation induced vibration and a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) has been devised. Since this method uses flexural resonance, it can be said to be an alternative method for a hammering test. Using our method, internal defects of concrete can be detected up to a depth of about 10 cm from the surface of concrete, even at a distance of about 30 m. However, in a closed space such as an underground cavity, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio decreases due to reverberation from the surroundings, making it difficult to detect defects compared to open spaces such as viaducts. This problem can be solved by using spatial spectral entropy (SSE), which extends the concept of spectral entropy to the two-dimensional space of the measurement plane. In other words, by SSE analysis, the resonance frequency of both the defect and the SLDV can be detected and separated because of the difference in the spatial distribution characteristics of the vibration velocity spectrum for each the frequency. Therefore, it is possible to detect a defective part even in a place where the S/N ratio is not sufficient.

The Matching Relationship Between the Distribution Characteristics of High-Grade Tourist Attractions and Spatial Vitality in Xinjiang

The development of the tourism industry serves as a crucial pathway for guiding urban spatial vitality, making the study of the matching relationship between the spatial distribution characteristics of tourist attractions and regional spatial vitality particularly important for the advancement of the tourism sector. This study combines Amap POI data and Weibo sign-in data, employing various quantitative methods, including Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), Hotspot Analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*), and the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, to thoroughly explore the distribution characteristics of different grades of tourist attractions in Xinjiang and their matching relationship with spatial vitality. The findings indicate that AAAAA attractions are primarily concentrated in Urumqi and its surrounding areas, where spatial vitality highly matches the distribution of attractions. The distribution of AAAA attractions shows regional differences, exhibiting higher matching degrees in certain areas of southern and western Xinjiang, while some regions in northern Xinjiang demonstrate lower matching degrees. Conversely, AAA attractions are more widely distributed in remote areas, where the matching between vitality and attraction distribution is low, particularly in southern and eastern Xinjiang, revealing a notable mismatch between tourism resources and spatial vitality. By analyzing the matching relationship between tourism resources and spatial vitality, this study provides a scientific basis for optimizing the allocation of tourism resources in Xinjiang and enhancing regional tourism spatial vitality. Additionally, this study also offers valuable insights for tourism managers and planners to formulate more precise tourism development policies.

Spatial pattern, source apportionment, and source-oriented health risk quantifying of heavy metals in farmland soils of southern China.

The contamination of heavy metal has permeated many parts of China, especially in densely populated and industrialized southern China. This study focused on the degree of pollution in farmland soil heavy metals (HMs), and its spatial distribution characteristics and source apportionment. Meanwhile, we conducted an evaluation of the health risks attributed to soil HMs and analyzed the factors that impact them. We found that the distribution of five heavy metals is mainly concentrated in the east-central and southern parts of the study area. Specifically, Cd and Hg have high levels of pollution and present potential ecological risks. The pollution sources of five HMs were analyzed utilizing positive matrix factorization. The results revealed that the contribution of different sources keeps the following order: natural source (42.42%), agricultural activities (29.93%), industrial pollution source (20.49%), and atmospheric deposition pollution (7.16%). The non-carcinogenic risks to residents were acceptable, whereas the carcinogenic risks were relatively high. Children and the elderly are more vulnerable to the negative effects of Cr, As. Using structural equation modeling, we found soil property is a vital factor affecting soil contamination, with the soil organic matter and cation exchange capacity having a relatively greater impact on heavy metals pollution. Our study provides some data reference and guidance for soil ecological protection and restoration.

The spatiotemporal distribution and environmental suitability evaluation of Neolithic settlements in the Western Guanzhong Basin of China

Illustrating the relationship between past settlement changes and human-land could help us to understand the complex interactions among climate, human activities, and the environment. Based on archeological literature and fieldworks, this paper combines dating techniques and GIS analysis to explore the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and human diffusion of Neolithic settlements in the Western Guanzhong Basin (WGB), and to quantitatively analyzes the relationship between human activities and natural geographic factors by index model. The results show that: (1) There was a continuity of Neolithic cultures in the WGB and the absolute chronological sequence of human activities ranges from 7500 to 3900 a BP; (2) The distribution of settlements tends to be on river terraces and Loess tableland, and with the evolution of Neolithic cultures, human activities shifted from near-water to far-water distributions and expanded to areas of high gradient. The center of activity of the settlement spreads from a single nucleus (the Wei River) to multiple nuclei (the Wei River, the Qian Rivers, and the Qishui River) and back to a single nucleus on the northern bank of the Wei River in the area of present Qishan-Fufeng, laying the foundation for the development and strength of the Western Zhou Dynasty Cultures in this area; (3) The suitability level of the natural geographic environment in the WGB gradually decreased from the Wei River to the north and south, and settlements were mainly distributed in the highly and moderately suitable zones; (4) It was found that as early as the Neolithic period, mankind had already grasped certain laws of nature, and the spatial distribution of settlements reflected mankind’s awareness of disaster avoidance and “compromise and reconciliation.”