Terrain analysis of world mountains using high resolution DEMs and its application to geography education

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K01119
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 04010:Geography-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Kyoiku University
• Principal Investigator: Yamada Shuji 大阪教育大学, 教育学部, 教授 (80295469)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 地形計測 / 山頂 / DEM

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study extracted the summits of the world mountains located between 60°N and 60°S, and evaluated the steepness of world mountains based on the relief and slope around the extracted summits using about 30 m DEMs (digital elevation models). Extremely steep summits, type Ia (reliefs R > 2,000 m, average slopes S > 50°) and Ib (R > 1,500 m S > 45°) were mostly located in the Himalaya Mountains. Several Ib summits were distributed in the Alps, Tianshan and Andes Mountains. Steep summits, Ic (R > 1,000 m, S > 40°) and Id (R > 500 m, S > 35°) were distributed in the mountains of the Alpine-Himalayan belt, Pacific Rim, and Central Asia and African rift valleys. High relief and gentle slope summits, that is, type II (R > 500 m, S < 35°), were distributed in the mountains of the passive margins in addition to type I mountains. Low relief and steep slope summits, type III (R < 500 m, S > 35°), were mostly located in the tower karst region of southern East Asia.

Free Research Field

自然地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中学校および高等学校の地理教科書には，プレート境界付近に位置する造山帯では，火山活動や地震が活発に発生して，険しい山地が分布する，と記されている．地震や火山については，教科書に，その分布を示す世界地図が掲載されており，それらが，確かに，プレート境界付近に分布することを知ることができる．ところが，険しい山地については，その分布を確認できる世界地図等の資料は掲載されていない．本研究の成果は，世界の険しい山の分布を明瞭に示すものであり，地形研究だけではなく，地理教育に対しても貢献するものと考えられる．