Abstract: The rocky areas of northern China are among the most risky areas for soil erosion in China. The research on the temporal and spatial changes of soil erosion in these areas is of great significance to soil and water conservation planning and ecological environment construction. Based on GIS and RS technology, and by using the RUSLE model, this study takes the Yimeng Mountainous Area-a typical rocky area in northern China as the research area, to calculate the temporal and spatial changes of soil erosion in this area from 2000 to 2018. Through combining the data of topography, slope, altitude, vegetation, land, and rainfall, Geodetector was used to conduct quantitative attribution research on soil erosion. The results show that:(1) The average soil erosion modulus for the five periods were 5 129.01, 6 661.76, 6 344.00, 3 493.23, and 5 669.03 t·km^-2·a^-1, respectively, in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018. The tendency was to increase at first and then decrease, and the conversion mode was mainly conversion of high-grade to low-grade, indicating that the soil erosion of Yimeng Mountainous Area had been improved. (2) The soil erosion in the west and north of the study area was more severe, and the soil erosion intensities were mainly serious and above grades, while the areas with erosion intensity of less than serious grades were mainly located in the southwest and the central-east. (3) The explanatory ability of the driving factors was different in each period, and land-use type played the most prominent role, with its quantitative attribution to soil erosion ranging from 42.52% to 66.84%. The areas with the land-use type as grassland, with the topography as middle relief mountains, with the slope between 15°-20°, and with the vegetation coverage between 0.4-0.6, are the key parts for soil erosion control in the Yimeng Mountainous Area.

Key words: soil erosion, RUSLE model, Geodetector, Yimeng Mountainous Area