Quantitative Assessment of Spatial Pattern of Geodiversity in the Tibetan Plateau

Geodiversity is considered a new tool to exploit the resources of regional and local geotourism. Hitherto, few assessments of geodiversity have been conceived for huge geographic units. The spatial pattern of geodiversity in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is the purpose of this study. A total of 96 abiotic units in six geo-groups of hydrology, pedology, landform, elevation, geology, and geosites were quantified and normalized to assess the geodiversity index. Geosites that represent interdisciplinary and specific abiotic elements are included as an independent component in the parameters of geodiversity assessment. The TP was divided into 1145 areas by fishnet, for counting of abiotic units, geodiversity calculation, and visualization of findings. The results indicated that the Pamir Plateau, Mt. Kunlun, the Delingha area, Mt. Qilian, the Xining area, Langmusi Town, Mt. Siguniang, Mt. Hengduan, the Nyainqentanglha Range, and the Lhasa area are the zones with very high geodiversity. The low geodiversity areas are mainly concentrated in the Qaidam Basin, the Qingnan Plateau, and the South Tibet region. In the TP, international tourist destinations such as UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites and Global Geoparks, are developed in areas of high geodiversity. The spatial pattern of geodiversity could be indicative of geotourism potential, and be used to guide the development planning of geotourism in the TP. The quantitative assessment of geodiversity also provides a new parameter for geoconservation in China.