چكيده لاتين
Gully erosion, as one of the most destructive forms of soil degradation, poses serious challenges to ecosystem stability and natural resource management, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The Mond watershed in southern Iran is severely susceptible to this phenomenon due to climatic characteristics, geological diversity, and anthropogenic pressures; however, the lack of systematic understanding regarding the relationship between geological formations and spatial patterns of erosion remains a significant knowledge gap. The present study was conducted to identify erosion zones, differentiate lithological units, and scientifically analyze the correlation between them using advanced Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies. In this regard, utilizing multi-spectral ASTER data, the gully erosion distribution map was generated via supervised classification algorithms, including Maximum Likelihood (MLC), Minimum Distance (MDC), Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), and Random Forest (RF). Additionally, to characterize regional mineralogy, spectral indices of various minerals—such as clays, carbonates, iron oxides, alunite, kaolinite, gypsum, anhydrite, pyrite, hematite, calcite, and dolomite—were identified using band ratioing and spectral mineralogy techniques. The results demonstrated that the Random Forest (RF) algorithm, with an Overall Accuracy of 0.87 and a Kappa coefficient near 0.75, outperformed other methods, proving its superior efficiency in delineating erosion classes and revealing the significant link between lithology and erosion susceptibility. By cross-referencing the mineral maps with the reference geological map, it was found that the Aghajari, Amiran, Bakhtyari, Jahrom, Razak, Sachun, Sarvak, Surmeh, Fahliyan, Dariyan, Kazhdumi, Mishan, Gurpi, Asmari, Bangestan Group, and Hormoz formations exhibited the highest correlation with the enhanced minerals. Spatially, the Khormuj (49.4%), Mond (40.2%), and Alamarvdasht (30.6%) sub-basins contain the most extensive gully erosion areas. Ultimately, findings indicate that the Hormoz formation, characterized by gypsum, anhydrite, and iron oxide minerals, has exerted the greatest influence on intensifying gully erosion in the region. This research, while presenting an efficient methodology for erosion monitoring, provides a precise scientific and spatial basis for prioritizing conservation measures and sustainable land management for natural resource planners and managers.
