Restoration of the distribution of pit-type yaodong dwellings in the 1970s using US military reconnaissance satellite images in Luoyang Basin, China

Abstract

This study used US military reconnaissance satellite images to identify the locations of lost pit-type yaodong in the Luoyang basin. A total of 7,668 data points were obtained by estimating the positions of the courtyards of pit-type yaodong. Pit-type yaodong were found in the west, north, and east but were rarely observed in the southern part of the basin. In the eastern and western parts of the basin their density tended to be high. I examined the factors that influence the distribution of pit-type yaodong by analyzing the relationship between the pit-type yaodong locations and the altitude and topography, using GIS. By estimating the number, distribution, range, and locations of pit-type yaodong, this study provides new geographical knowledge of architectural and cultural aspects of yaodong in the Loess Plateau.