A Study Of Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Geological Disaster Of Mountain Regions In The Three Gorges Areas In Historical Period

The spatial and temporal distribution of geological disaster of mountainous regions in historical period falls within the domain of historical geography research, and it is also an important aspect of historical disaster geography research. In recent years, the worsening destruction of ecological balance and the increasingly unreasonable utilization of resources have aggravated the geological disasters of mountainous regions in the Three Gorges area. With the progress of the Three Gorges Project, these problems have drawn increasing attention in the academic circles. However, the geological disasters of mountainous regions in the Three Gorges areas in historical period need far more exploration. This paper, based upon catastrophology, statistics, and anthropology, will make full use of the historical records about the geographic disasters of mountainous regions in the Three Gorges areas, try to make a thorough probe into the spatial and temporal distribution of these disasters in historical period and reveal the regular temporal pattern and dynamic evolution of spatial distribution of these disasters. It is expected that the paper can fill the blank in the research of this area, and make certain contribution to the long or medium term forecast of geographic disasters of mountainous regions in the Three Gorges areas. This paper consists of five parts:The first part is an introduction, including the reasons for choosing this topic, the significance of this study, the definition of some concepts, as well as a review and an analysis of the previous research on this issue.The second part has discussed the source material about geographic disasters of mountainous regions in the Three Gorges areas in historical period, the features of these disasters as well as the solutions. The paper has also proposed a criterion for ranking these disasters, and divided them into different ranks, which offers a reference to the parameterization of the datum of these disasters in the following parts.In the third part, by collecting and sorting materials like biographic history, local records, travel notes and collected works etc, the author has accumulated the most comprehensive data about geographic disasters of mountainous regions in the Three Gorges area in historical period. Using these data, the author has also established a chronological table about these disasters in historic records, sorted the time order of these disasters, and ranked them in accordance with the criterion mentioned above.The fourth part explores the regular temporal pattern of geological disasters of mountainous region in the Three Gorges areas in historical period and the dynamic evolution of their spatial distribution. Chronologically, the data about geological disasters are very few, mostly distributed during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, whereas the records before the Ming Dynasty are scarcely kept on file. From the spatial perspective, the geological disasters were intensively dispersed in the Yunyang-Yichang belt. In the last part, from the perspective of social attributes of geographic disasters, the paper has discussed the interacting factors between human and the earth under the influence of spatial-temporal distribution patterns in the Three Gorges area in historical period. And suggestions for drought and disaster prevention have been provided.