Abstract: Rural settlement is the main habitation of rural population and the central place for social activities such as life and production. With the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization, urban-rural integration development and migration and relocation in Qinling-Bashan Mountains, the spatial pattern of rural settlements has changed greatly. Taking Danfeng County of Shangluo City in Shaanxi Province in the east of Qinling Mountains as the research object in this paper. The settlement patches data of Danfeng County in 2010, 2015 and 2019 were extracted based on Google Earth historical images. Then the spatial-temporal dynamics of rural settlements spatial distribution pattern in Danfeng County were analyzed using the methods of landscape pattern spatial analysis, ArcGIS spatial analysis and kernel density, and the influencing factors of spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements in Danfeng County were further studied by using Geodetector models. The study results show that: (1) The numbers and the density of rural settlements in Danfeng County decreased from 2010 to 2019, but the area increased continuously, which indicate that the spatial expansion of rural settlements was obvious. (2) The spatial distribution density was high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The distribution of high-density core in the county was characterized by dispersion, diversity and weak continuity, the scope of high-density kernel gradually shrank and moved to the centers of the townships. The directivity of rural settlements along the gentle slopes of lowland and on both sides of river and roads was strengthened. (3)Terrain and other natural factors shaped the basic spatial pattern of rural settlements in the County, and the impact on the spatial evolution of rural settlements continued to strengthen. Location factors such as distance to traffic and river and social and economic factors such as population density are important driving forces to promote the spatial evolution speed and spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements. The study results may provide a theoretical basis for rural revitalization and optimal layout of settlement space in Danfeng County.

Key words: Eastern Qinling Mountains, Danfeng County, rural settlement, spatial evolution, influencing factor, Geodetector