The implementation of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), with its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), faces challenges such as insufficient data, limited research methodologies, and uneven progress across regions. Earth observation (EO), particularly scientific satellites, offers unique advantages in supporting global sustainable development by providing objective, dynamic, and large-scale datasets for SDG evaluations and policymaking, as well as by facilitating the study of Earth’s environmental systems and their interactions with human activity. Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1 (SDGSAT-1), the world’s first scientific satellite dedicated to supporting the 2030 Agenda, was designed and developed by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS). Its three advanced EO sensors, i.e., Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIS), Glimmer Imager (GLI), and Multispectral Imager (MSI), furnish high-quality data, enabling continuous monitoring of human activity and environmental changes to bolster SDG-related research and global sustainability initiatives. As of November 2025, SDGSAT-1 has collected over 480 000 global terrain coverage images since its launch in November 2021. All its datasets have been shared free of charge with the Global Scientific Community through the SDGSAT-1 Open Science Program initiated in September 2022. The datasets have enabled researchers from more than 110 countries, 10 UN agencies, and various international organizations to publish over 180 scientific articles, 17 UN reports, and numerous public data products. These have demonstrated applications in urban development, disaster response, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and marine conservation. This article reviews the technical innovations and mission specifications of the SDGSAT-1 satellite, demonstrates its contribution in leveraging space technology for SDG monitoring and evaluation, and discusses the future evolution of development of EO systems, specifically the planned Sustainable Development Satellite Constellation, for supporting the global achievement of SDGs.

Study Region: The Ganzi-Yushu fault zone (GYFZ) is an active strike-slip fault on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, separating the Bayan Har and Qiangtang blocks. Study Focus: Active strike-slip faults can act as barriers and conduits for groundwater, making them important settings for understanding how seismic deformation redistributes meteoric recharge and deep volatiles. In the GYFZ, along-strike fault coupling, the 2010 Yushu rupture, and heterogeneous lithologies require clarification of how fault architecture controls groundwater circulation and hydrochemical differentiation. New Hydrological Insights for the Region: Hydrochemical, water-isotope, gas-isotope, and unsupervised machine-learning evidence (Principal Component Analysis (PCA), K-means clustering, and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP)) from 31 water samples and 9 gas-sampling sites shows the GYFZ is compartmentalized. Stable isotopes indicate meteoric recharge, but circulation is partitioned by mechanical state. Highly coupled locked sectors preserve dilute meteoric Cluster 2 waters and limit vertical exchange with deep fluids. Ruptured and coupling-transition domains provide conduits for deeper, warmer Cluster 1 fluids, producing SiO2, Na+, Cl-, and HCO3- enrichment and variable volatile input (CO2 = 1.02–99.04%; Rc = 0.10–0.51 Ra). Cluster 3, represented by GQNY, records a local sulfate-rich flow path through evaporitic and carbonate lithologies; its SO42- enrichment reflects mineral availability and hydrological connectivity rather than CO2-driven acidity. Thus, fault coupling determines conduit-barrier behaviour, whereas lithology controls the reaction fingerprint, explaining localized volatile-bearing anomalies along the fault.

Alpine landscapes in orogenic plateaus emerge from the interaction between tectonic uplift and climate, expressed through erosional processes. A key uncertainty lies in how glacial and fluvial processes compete to sculpt the topography. Here we investigate the late Miocene-Quaternary landscape evolution of the Sares-Muztaghata domes in the northeastern Pamir, which share similar regional setting, lithology, and climate but exhibit contrasting geomorphic expressions. We integrate low-temperature thermochronology, quantitative geomorphic indices, and first-order erosion partitioning to investigate the coupled tectonic-glacial controls. Integrated thermochronology reveals a shared cooling and exhumation phase at similar to 11-8 Ma for both domes, followed by divergent tectonic history after similar to 6.7 Ma, with renewed deformation localized at the Muztaghata dome. Geomorphic analyses demonstrate contrasting landscape responses to late Cenozoic climate forcing. The Sares dome preserves high-elevation, low-relief surfaces modified by episodic glacial erosion near the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) and subsequently fluvial reworking; conversely, the Muztaghata dome exhibits high relief with deeply incised U-shaped valleys, a pattern sustained by ongoing uplift and extensive terrain above the ELA during Quaternary glacial-interglacial cycles. Our quantitative partitioning analysis indicates that glacial erosion contributed approximately one-third of total relief increase in the Muztaghata dome over the past similar to 2 Ma. This analysis indicates that present-day landscapes at the plateau margin reflect coupled tectonic-climatic forcing, with tectonic uplift establishing the first-order framework while glacial and fluvial erosion dominate catchmentscale modification.

[Objective]The early Cenozoic collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates triggered multi-stage uplift of the Tibetan Plateau,resulting in its remarkable landscapes and abundant mineral resources,while profoundly influencing climate,environment,and hazard evolution across Asia and beyond.The Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings have undergone intense tectonic activity and recurrent natural disasters,particularly earthquakes,which have significantly shaped its tectonic and geomorphic evolution.Seismic records indicate that more than half of the major earthquakes on the Chinese mainland and the surrounding regions occur within the plateau and its margins,controlled by the diverse types,scales,and distributions of active faults.[Methods]This study synthesizes decades of research on active faults and earthquake hazards across the Tibetan Plateau.It builds on the results of the Active Faults and Earthquake Hazards theme of the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP),which provided detailed documentation of major active fault zones.This study integrated current deformation fields,seismicity,and stress regimes to examine the seismotectonic settings associated with strong earthquakes across different regions of the plateau.Based on this analysis,the future seismic hazard potential of the plateau was further evaluated.[Conclusion]The image of active faults on the Tibetan Plateau indicates that different regions comprise fault systems with diverse scales,kinematics,and activity patterns.The tectonic settings associated with strong earthquakes have evolved through prolonged,multi-stage deformation,progressively establishing the present seismotectonic framework governing the nucleation and occurrence of large earthquakes.Current patterns of crustal deformation reveal northeastward deceleration with limited eastward extrusion of crustal blocks.Stress regimes,in contrast,are characterized by shear-extension in the interior and compression along the margins.Seismic hazard trends inferred from active tectonics and crustal deformation suggest a distinct segmented zonal pattern of strong earthquake activity,with plateau margins and fault-dense interiors representing the primary loci of future large earthquakes.Additionally,tectonic and geomorphic boundary zones demonstrate an increased likelihood for strong seismic events.

The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), encompassing 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), serves as a framework for global development. However, hurdles such as lack of data, insufficient research methods, and uneven development have hindered progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Earth observation (EO) provides objective, space-based data supporting SDG assessments and policymaking for the environmental, socioeconomic development, and human activity. The successful launch of Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1 (SDGSAT-1) in November 2021 marked the beginning of the first science satellite program dedicated to supporting the 2030 Agenda. This paper provides an overview of the SDGSAT-1 mission and its three sensors: Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIS), Glimmer Imager (GLI), and Multispectral Imager (MSI), and details the sensors' capabilities in supporting SDG-related research and the future outlook of the Sustainable Development Satellite Constellation. To monitor, evaluate, and study SDGs, SDGSAT-1 collaboratively uses its three sensors to precisely depict traces of human activity day and night, supporting global achievement of the SDGs and research on human-nature interactions. Fostered by the SDGSAT-1 Open Science Program, launched in September 2022, data from SDGSAT-1 is freely available to scientific communities worldwide, accelerating EO-supported SDG applications. Researchers and technologists from over 105 countries, UN agencies, and international organizations have used data from over 450,000 images collected by the TIS, GLI, and MSI sensors. This has resulted in more than 137 scientific papers in SCI-indexed journals covering SDGs 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, and 13-15; 17 scientific reports on UN websites; and numerous public data products. The satellite's imagery has been instrumental in urban development, disaster response, environmental monitoring, agricultural efficiency, and marine conservation. By providing high-resolution imagery, SDGSAT-1 has improved the assessment of urban lighting patterns, industrial activity, and environmental changes, aiding policy-making and sustainable development initiatives. The successful practices of SDGSAT-1 demonstrate that space technologies, particularly EO, can significantly contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, a Sustainable Development Satellite Constellation is proposed to provide valuable global SDG monitoring and evaluation datasets.

Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, as a UNESCO natural heritage site, is a critical habitat for migratory birds along the East Atlantic Flyway (EAF). The bird habitat has undergone the dramatic variations of the Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) under the influence of climate change and human activities, posing a serious threat to the survival of migratory birds along the EAF. In order to explore the spatio-temporal variations of LUCC in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary during 1984 to 2023, this study employs multitemporal satellite image data to extract the LUCC of this heritage site and adjacent region, and comprehensively analyze the impact factors induced the variations of LUCC. Our results show that it went through two stages of the significant change in LUCC over the past 40 years. The first stage of significant change is from 1984 to 1990, when the areas of soil land and saline soil land had largely transformed into water bodies, vegetation, and wetlands. The areas of soil and saline soil land were decreased by 28.86% and 8.96%, respectively. Meanwhile, the areas of wetland, water body and vegetation increased to 30.53%, 4.92% and 2.37%, separately. The second stage of significant change in LUCC is from 2000 to 2010, while the area of vegetation (including the invasive plants) increased significantly to 54.02%, and the areas of water bodies, wetlands, and saline soil areas decreased to 6.19%, 10.37%, and 10.05% respectively. At the same time, the area of agricultural land around the heritage site rapidly increased from 13.292 km2 in 2006 to 114.2603 km2 in 2023. These significant variations of LUCC led to a decrease in the number of migratory birds, and the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary had been listed as List of World Heritage in Danger twice by the World Heritage Committee. The major factors contributing to these significant changes in LUCC are mainly caused by human activities, such as the construction of the Diama Dam and improper use of upstream of the dam, as well as the expansion of agricultural land around the heritage site. Thus, we suggest that the heritage administrative authorities should make relevant measures to scientifically minimize the impact of human activities on ecosystem of the heritage site, and conduct regularly an integrated "space-to-ground" monitoring and assessment of water usage of the dam, controlling of invasive plants, strictly regulating the expansion of agricultural land within the heritage site and adjacent region. (c) 2024 Beijing Normal University. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing has a long history of use and reached a good level of maturity in archaeological and cultural heritage applications, yet further advances are viable through the exploitation of novel sensor data and imaging modes, big data and high-performance computing, advanced and automated analysis methods. This paper showcases the main research avenues in this field, with a focus on archaeological prospection and heritage site protection. Six demonstration use-cases with a wealth of heritage asset types (e.g. excavated and still buried archaeological features, standing monuments, natural reserves, burial mounds, paleo-channels) and respective scientific research objectives are presented: the Ostia-Portus area and the wider Province of Rome (Italy), the city of Wuhan and the Jiuzhaigou National Park (China), and the Siberian "Valley of the Kings" (Russia). Input data encompass both archive and newly tasked medium to very high-resolution imagery acquired over the last decade from satellite (e.g. Copernicus Sentinels and ESA Third Party Missions) and aerial (e.g. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV) platforms, as well as field-based evidence and ground truth, auxiliary topographic data, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), and monitoring data from geodetic campaigns and networks. The novel results achieved for the use-cases contribute to the discussion on the advantages and limitations of optical and SAR-based archaeological and heritage applications aimed to detect buried and sub-surface archaeological assets across rural and semi-vegetated landscapes, identify threats to cultural heritage assets due to ground instability and urban development in large metropolises, and monitor post-disaster impacts in natural reserves.

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (WHC), adopted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 16, 1972, aims to ensure the identification, protection, conservation, presentation, and transmission to future generations of the world's cultural and natural heritage. The WHC works toward these goals by emphasizing the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of heritage sites and the unique contribution such places can make to conservation and human development agendas.1UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Paris, France: UNESCO, 2021.Google Scholar As of the end of January 2023, the WHC has been signed by 194 state parties, covering 1,157 sites (including 900 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed properties), 55 of which are considered to be in danger. These sites, totaling an area of more than 370 million hectares are designated as World Heritage (WH) sites (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/). WH sites have played a significant role in the sustainable development of society globally and helped effectively maintain and preserve the cultural diversity and global biodiversity of the Earth.2Luo L. Wang X. Guo H. Contribution of UNESCO designated sites to the achievement of sustainable development goals.Innovation. 2022; 3100227Google Scholar However, WH sites around the world are experiencing significant impacts caused, in large part, by increasing anthropogenic threats (such as the rapid spread of urban sprawl, deforestation, resource overexploitation, air pollution, armed conflict, excessive tourism, and poor management).3Allan J.R. Venter O. Maxwell S. et al.Recent increases in human pressure and forest loss threaten many Natural World Heritage Sites.Biol. Conserv. 2017; 206: 47-55Crossref Scopus (104) Google Scholar There is also a range of overarching, long-term global challenges posed by climate change, extreme and severe weather events and geological hazards.4Vousdoukas M.I. Clarke J. Ranasinghe R. et al.African heritage sites threatened as sea-level rise accelerates.Nat. Clim. Chang. 2022; 12: 256-262Crossref Scopus (39) Google Scholar These threats, anthropogenic or otherwise, have put an unprecedented amount of pressure on the protection of both cultural and natural properties at the heritage sites. There is no conclusive solution to effectively protect heritage sties in the foreseeable future, and the public is becoming increasingly conscious about the negative impacts some anthropogenic activities have brought to heritage sites, exposing them to various risks for irreversible damage and loss. In light of this predicament, UNESCO, alongside its conservation partners, has been actively calling for the use of non-intrusive space technology (ST) to better evaluate and understand the detrimental factors surrounding WH sites and devise effective plans to mitigate negative impacts on OUV through the accurate identification, documentation, monitoring, and understanding of WH sites and their changes across large spatiotemporal scales. For this commentary, ST refers mainly to remote sensing (RS) based on Earth observation (EO) from space, as well as other geospatial information technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). Even though ST was not developed intentionally for WH protection, it provides an advanced set of innovative and flexible tools that integrate scientific research into heritage science, which forms the evidential base to support measures for the protection of WH sites. ST also opens up paths of methodological innovation to facilitate future conservation of cultural and natural properties with new paradigms. On the basis of a half-century review of the applications of ST in the field of WH, we find that ST has effectively reshaped our means for WH conservation in four major domains of application: mapping, monitoring, modeling, and management of WH sites (Figure 1A). ST, as an objective and reliable "eye" from above for heritage experts, has enabled detailed mapping of heritages at various scales. This application commonly involves the acquisition and updatable analysis of multimodal datasets, combined with near real-time survey and investigation of WH sites and their contextual environments. ST is also an invaluable tool in identifying and designating potential new WH sites. The widespread integration of ST has played a crucial role in UNESCO's routine monitoring and emergency monitoring of cultural and natural heritages as a countermeasure to the challenges presented by global change. In particular, ST has made major contributions to fine-grained monitoring at very high resolutions in time and space and in assessing change caused by natural and/or anthropogenic processes. The combined application of RS, GIS, and augmented reality has facilitated the production of three-dimensional (3D) modeling of WH sites. In addition, photogrammetry and laser scanning can be used in WH surveys for generating 3D documentation of cultural and natural properties. Heritage information models of some popular WH sites have already been actively used in the fields of architecture study and digital ecology. The ability of ST to contribute to the conservation, planning, and management of WH sites has already been commonly used in the following domains: the definition of authenticity and integrity (AI), the mapping of OUV attributes of cultural and natural assets, the development and maintenance of heritage databases, 3D modeling and digital reconstruction, and informing WH management for sustainable development. The UNESCO WHC refers to its "strategic objectives" as the "5 C's": credibility, conservation, capacity building, communication, and communities.1UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Paris, France: UNESCO, 2021.Google Scholar Here, we propose five key contributions ("5 D's") of ST for conservation work involving WH sites (see Figure 1B): data, driver, discovery, digital transformation, and decision support. ST and the 5 D's, together with the WHC, constitute the "turbine model" for safeguarding WH that is proposed in this commentary and will assist in achieving the 5 C's over the next 50 years. By providing massive multi-source data, ST plays a crucial role in the WH governance chain. Archived data together with ongoing data acquisition record changes at WH sites and provide evidence for their conservation. The data collected through ST will, in turn, serve as an invaluable store of not only raw observations but also derivative products that can be extracted from imagery.5Levin N. Ali S. Crandall D. et al.World Heritage in danger: big data and remote sensing can help protect sites in conflict zones.Global Environ. Change. 2019; 55: 97-104Crossref Scopus (50) Google Scholar As a result of this data mechanism, ST will be able to mitigate the problem of lacunae in WH data by offering global coverage and consistency. ST is driving a revolution to become a new paradigm of WH protection. It provides advanced tools, such as RS data processing and GIS spatial analysis powered by machine learning, which can be used for dynamic monitoring and spatiotemporal analysis of changes that are occurring at WH sites. From this enhanced monitoring method, WH specialists and managers are empowered with the tools to monitor change over time and to assess whether conservation efforts to mitigate the impacts of natural and anthropogenic processes are contributing to positive outcomes toward sustainability. ST plays a key role in aiding frontier research across multiple disciplines related to heritage science. Scientific discoveries based on the use of new geospatial technologies and big EO data can be applied to the quantitative assessment of the state of WH protection. They can also be used to support deepened multidimensional interpretations of the OUV of WH sites, to guide the sustainable use of WH, and to improve accessibility so that all stakeholders may obtain unbiased and open information, thus increasing the credibility of WH as a global brand. ST provides a means of digital transformation that can be used for identifying, understanding, visualizing, presenting, and interpreting WH sites and their OUV in the digital space. In the future, ST will promote the transformation of WH protection through studies such as tangible heritage, digitalized heritage, or both. GIS-aided digital transformation will greatly improve the quality and efficiency of global communication and the dissemination of information related to WH sites, promoting public awareness of protection concepts and smoothing the implementation of actions. ST is becoming an invaluable tool to provide decision-making support along the entire chain of WH governance, from mapping to monitoring, modeling, and management. ST-based solutions could offer spatial intelligence to inform strategic decision making for multiple stakeholders, including local communities, WH sectors, institutions, and organizations. It offers an innovative path for capacity building and capacity enhancement in relation to the global governance of WH. These solutions are delivered in numerous ways, including databases, technologies, protocols, visualization platforms, and analytical systems. WH is under the influence of a wide array of anthropogenic and natural processes, giving the heritage bodies and national and international organizations promoting the preservation of WH sites an unprecedented opportunity to use science, technology, and innovation, including ST, to experiment innovative solutions and promote the role of WH in achieving sustainable development. Given that natural and anthropogenic challenges can present similar issues in various regions across the globe, it is evident that sharing knowledge and expertise, as well as developing collective strategies to leverage ST, while tailoring our methods to local circumstances, will be fundamental in developing a global approach for WH that is successful in the long run. The past 50 years of applications have resulted in continuous innovation in the development of ST to become powerful, cutting-edge tools for use in heritage documentation, monitoring, assessment and protection, and sustainable development. Although the progress is promising, we must underscore that relying solely on ST is insufficient; the greatest benefits are achieved by integrating ST with a variety of disciplines, such as management, economics, sustainability, sociology, education, ethics, politics, law, art, and aesthetics. Through closer and sustained engagement with a broader cross-section of society and local communities, ST can contribute to opening new horizons for WH protection over the course of the twenty-first century. This work was supported by the Innovative Research Program of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (grant CBAS2022IRP09) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant 2023135). The viewpoints expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of their institutions. The authors declare no competing interests.

Earthquakes have been acknowledged as threats to heritages for a long time in the past decades. Many scientific publications and international guidelines have addressed this issue. However, the related reports are still lacking particularly for the 2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo earthquake and its sur-rounding heritage sites, even though this event was the largest earthquake in China after 2008 with 13 National Key Protected Cultural Relic Units (NKPCRUs) of China located in the surround-ing areas within 200 km from the epicenter. On May 21, 2021, an Mw 7.4 earthquake struck Maduo County in Qinghai Province, China. The earthquake was large in magnitude and caused-150 km of surface rupture. The integrity and authenticity of cultural heritages near the epicen-ter are under severe threat, making it critically important to quantify the potential damages and vulnerability of these sites affected by the Mw 7.4 earthquake. Nevertheless, many geological and geophysical studies related to this earthquake have been conducted, but none of them consider the seismic damage to the heritage sites. To fulfill this gap, the Zhalang temple (also known as "Golok Peaceful Liberation Memorial") which was a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located-140 km away from the Mw 7.4 epicenter of the 2021 Maduo earthquake was taken as an exam-ple to investigate whether and how the strong earthquake could affect a cultural heritage in such a distance. Collaborative monitoring based on InSAR and seismic intensity was conducted to measure the earthquake-induced deformation and characterize the risks and damages to cultural heritages by earthquakes. First, fast responses within 30 min based on the seismic method were performed. The PGV-vS30 intensity, that was the peak ground velocities (PGV) further site -corrected by the site conditions of the time-averaged shear-wave velocity to 30 m depth (vS30) seismic intensity map was obtained, which provided a general and fast guidance to preliminary determinations of the severe disaster area and the scope of the disaster area. Initial decisions could be made about whether or where a certain location should be taken into further on-site inspection. Then, the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) processing of Sentinel-1 images was performed to define two-dimensional (2D) East-West (E-W) and vertical co-seismic deformation maps near the Zhalang temple. Finally, the measurements obtained by seismic and InSAR methods were validated by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and field surveying. The results showed that: the maximum E-W striking deformation was similar to 2.54 cm toward the east and the vertical subsidence was similar to 0.01 cm centered on the Zhalang temple, suggesting that the E -W striking deformation significantly affected the surrounding region. Moreover, the spatial het-erogeneity indicator of the InSAR deformation maps revealed the locations of underground faults with surface expressions. Further field survey detected surface fractures at Zhalang temple due to secondary effects of the Mw 7.4 earthquake. The genetic process of faulting and fracturing is cru-cial in terms of hazard assessment and mitigation strategies. In countries with strong environ-mental and seismic risks, the presented work contributes to the disaster risk reduction (DRR) of heritages in natural-hazard-prone areas and also takes on a social value because it provided sup-plements for the protection of a heritage that represents the very identity nationwide.

The pre-phase landslides will have a legacy effect on future landslides, changing the landslide susceptibility. This study attempts to establish a reasonable post-seismic landslide susceptibility model and analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of landslide susceptibility in the Jiuzhaigou MS7.0 earthquake-struck region. Firstly, an integrated ‘space-ground’ monitoring technology is used to establish a multi-temporal post-seismic landslide dataset. Then, the buffer analysis method documents the spatio-temporal characteristics of post-seismic landslides. Thirdly, the distance is selected as an indicator to quantify the legacy effect. An improved time-variant model is established to evaluate the post-seismic landslide susceptibility. Finally, the spatio-temporal characteristics of landslide susceptibility are generalized, to sum up the changing law. Our results show that the post-seismic landslides are gradually closer to the pre-phase landslides with time. Distance is a critical factor in measuring the impact of pre-phase landslides on future landslides, which can improve the assessment accuracy of the post-seismic landslide susceptibility model. After a large seismic event, the correlation between landslide susceptibility and earthquakes gradually weakens. Post-seismic landslide prevention should focus on the pre-phase landslide expansion triggered by rainfall. Moreover, it should clean up the landslide deposits in time and reasonably dredge the debris flows to avoid secondary geological disasters.

Inner Asia underwent dramatic changes in sea-land distributions and paleoenvironment in the Cenozoic that were marked by the westward retreat and finally demise of the proto-Paratethys and the subsequent formation of the largest mid-latitude dryland in Central Asia in the Northern Hemisphere. The proto-Paratethys has now retreated to the present-day Mediterranean, but this huge epicontinental sea once extended eastward to the remote Tarim Basin in Central Asia. Although the Tarim and Tajik Basins are today separated by the Pamir salient, they were once the same basin occupied by sea water that belonged to the easternmost part of the Turan Sea in the early Cenozoic. The present Alay Valley that is situated between the Pamirs and Tian Shan was formerly the seawater channel that connected the Tarim and Tajik Basins; since the late Eocene the Valley has experienced a major change in altitude from sea level to 3500 m. The timing and detailed process of the final seawater retreat in the Alay Valley have considerable importance for understanding the interplay between tectonics, surface process, and climate. However, there is still much controversy about the timing of the final seawater retreat from the Tarim and Tajik Basins. In this paper we present a multidisciplinary study of Upper Paleogene strata in the easternmost Alay Valley. Our new magnetostratigraphy, together with the biostratigraphy and the U-Pb age of detrital zircons, indicates that the Upper Paleogene strata have an age range of 40 to 28 Ma. A shallow open sea ended at 40 Ma in both the Tarim and Tajik Basins just after the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum. The change from a shallow open sea to an alternative deposition of restricted marine and continental facies began at 40 Ma. Nine marine transgression/regression cycles were recorded in the Alay Valley as indicated by the alternations between restricted marine environment (lagoon) and terrestrial deposition from 39.1 to 37.8 Ma. During this period, the Alay Valley was intermittently occupied by seawater. The final seawater retreat from the Alay Valley was at 37.8 Ma. There might be a diachronous final seawater retreat from the restricted marine environment in the Alay Valley and the Tajik Basin, it was mostly related to the sedimentary hiatuses and/or to the differential uplift and basin filling processes driven by the outward growth of the Pamirs.

With the latest uplift episode of Tian Shan occurring since early Miocene, a series of thrust–fold belts were formed in front of Tian Shan. The Kashi foreland thrust–fold belt (KFTB) provided a unique case to understand the ongoing intracontinental deformation within the Pamir–Tian Shan convergence zone (PTCZ). Previous cosmogenic nuclide chronological studies on growth folds suggested that the young thrust–fold belt in front of Pamir formed during 6–1.07 Ma. However, the age constraints of late Cenozoic deformation in front of southwestern Tian Shan are still debated. In this study, we attempt to constrain the initial deformation time of the NEE-striking Atushi anticline (ATA) in the KFTB through the cosmogenic nuclide burial dating data of growth strata near the boundary between Pliocene–Pleistocene Atushi Formation and Xiyu Formation (Xiyu Conglomerate), which are exposed in the southern limb of ATA. Moreover, detailed geological interpretations of multiple remote sensing images and field investigations are also carried out to document the late Cenozoic structural deformation and geomorphologic features of ATA. The 26 Al/ 10 Be burial dating data of four fine-grained samples reveal that the syntectonic deposit of ATA initiated at 1.79 ± 0.16 Ma, and the deposit of Xiyu Conglomerate started since 1.67 ± 0.18 Ma. Thus, we suggest that the thrust–folding of ATA began at ca.1.79 Ma and is currently still active.

The 22 August 1902 Mw 7.7 Atushi earthquake is the most disastrous seismic event in the southwestern Tian Shan. However, the spatial distribution of surface rupture zones as well as the geometric feature of surface deformation remain unclear, and the seismogenic fault is still controversial. Based on geologic and geomorphic interpretations of multiple remote sensing imaging data, high-resolution DEM data derived from UAV imaging complemented by field investigations, we mapped two sub-parallel NEE-trending surface rupture zones with a total length of 108 km. In addition, ~60 km and ~48 km surface rupture zones are distributed along the pre-existing Atushi fault (ATF) and the Keketamu fault (KTF), respectively. The surface deformations are mainly characterized as bedrock scarp, hanging wall collapse scarp, pressure ridge, and thrust-related fold scarps along the two south-dipping thrust faults, which are defined as the seismogenic structure of the 1902 Mw 7.7 Atushi earthquake. Thus, we proposed the cascading-rupture model to explain the multiple rupture zones generated by the 1902 Mw 7.7 Atushi earthquake. Moreover, the multiple advanced remote sensing mapping techniques can provide a promising approach to recover the geometric and geomorphic features of the surface deformation caused by large seismic events in the arid and semi-arid regions.

The South China Karst, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) natural heritage site, is one of the world’s most spectacular examples of humid tropical to subtropical karst landscapes. The Libo cone karst in the southern Guizhou Province is considered as the world reference site for these types of karst, forming a distinctive and beautiful landscape. Geomorphic information and spatial distribution of cone karst is essential for conservation and management for Libo heritage site. In this study, a deep learning (DL) method based on DeepLab V3+ network was proposed to document the cone karst landscape in Libo by multi-source data, including optical remote sensing images and digital elevation model (DEM) data. The training samples were generated by using Landsat remote sensing images and their combination with satellite derived DEM data. Each group of training dataset contains 898 samples. The input module of DeepLab V3+ network was improved to accept four-channel input data, i.e., combination of Landsat RGB images and DEM data. Our results suggest that the mean intersection over union (MIoU) using the four-channel data as training samples by a new DL-based pixel-level image segmentation approach is the highest, which can reach 95.5%. The proposed method can accomplish automatic extraction of cone karst landscape by self-learning of deep neural network, and therefore it can also provide a powerful and automatic tool for documenting other type of geological landscapes worldwide.

Cenozoic tectono-geomorphic growth processes of the Yabrai Fault (YBF) along Yabrai Mountain (YM) and their impacts on the landscape formation of Badain Jaran Desert (BJD) during the late Quaternary are still unsolved, and yet are crucial to exploring the tectonic evolution of the boundary between the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and southern Gobi Alxa block. This study addresses these issues using information extraction-based interpreta-tions of multiple satellite images coupled with field observations. The 138 km-long NE-NEE striking YBF can be divided into 3 segments: southwestern, central, and northeastern segments all characterized by left-lateral faulting with normal faulting components. Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology and calcite (U-Th) dating inte-grated with regional tectonic evolution history provides new geochronological evidence for understanding the multi-stage evolution of the YM and YBF. (1) Before the late Cretaceous (135-72 Ma), the mountain experienced rapid cooling and uplift. (2) During the late Cretaceous to Eocene (ca. 70-33.9), the YM is likely to have experi-enced denudation and flattening. (3) From the Oligocene to early Pliocene (33.9-5 Ma), the YBF underwent-47 km of left-lateral displacement that accommodated the slip of Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF). (4) Since the Pliocene (5 +/- 1 Ma), the YBF is characterized by left-lateral strike-slip faulting with a normal faulting component. The normal faulting resulted in uplift and the creation of topography along the central segment of the YBF. This has impeded the southeastward migration of sand dunes, building the world's highest megadune within the BJD. The tectono-geomorphic growth of the YM and YBF plays a key role in formation of the unique megadune-lake pattern and in preventing the merging of the BJD and Tengger Desert (TD). (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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UNESCO Global Geoparks should be of international geological significance in terms of their scientific quality, rarity, aesthetic appeal and tourism value. At least nine Cenozoic volcanic fields are developed in the western Saudi Arabia, with a total area of 180,000 km 2 . In this paper, the geological and geomorphological features of these volcanic fields induced by the expansion of the Red Sea are interpreted and displayed using multi-source satellite images, such as Landsat-8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) and Gaofen-2 data. Our results show that the Al-Medina volcanic field (AMVF) has great prospects as the aspiring volcanic Geopark in Saudi Arabia. This study indicates that: (1) AMVF has international geoscientific significance and rare natural attribute because the volcanic fields are induced by the rising mantle plume and rare examples of white volcanoes comprised mainly from felsic rock; (2) AMVF has abundant volcanic landscapes, including completely preserved cones and craters and multi-phase lava flows from different eruption stages, which have great aesthetic appreciation and tourism values to attract the general public; (3) AMVF is close to the second holy city of Islam-Medina, which has convenient transportation and is suitable to develop tourism to promote the development of the local economy; (4) AMVF had erupted repeatedly (the latest eruption was in 1256 AD), establishment of the UNESCO Global Geopark Project can not only prevent potential geological hazard risks to the people living in Medina city from future volcanic eruption events, but also provide better protection and conservation to geoheritage sites being damaged by human activities, for example setting protected boundaries of AMVF to avoid the destruction of volcanic landscape integrity caused by urban expansion.

It is crucial to explore a suitable landslide susceptibility model with an excellent prediction capability for rapid evaluation and disaster relief in seismic regions with different lithological features. In this study, we selected two typical seismic events, the Jiuzhaigou and Minxian earthquakes, which occurred in the Alpine karst and loess regions, respectively. Eight influencing factors and five models were chosen to calculate the susceptibility of landslide, including the information (I) model, certainty factor (CF) model, logistic regression (LR) model, I + LR coupling model, and CF + LR coupling model. Then, the accuracy and the landslide susceptibility distribution of these models were assessed by the area under curve (AUC) and distribution criteria. Finally, the model with high accuracy and good applicability for the rock landslide or loess landslide regions was optimized. Our results showed that the accuracy of the coupling model is higher than that of the single models. Except for the LR model, the landslide susceptibility distribution for the above-mentioned models is consistent with universal cognition. The coupling models are generally better than their single models. Among them, the I + LR model can obtain the best comprehensive results for assessing the distribution and accuracy of both rock and loess landslide susceptibility, which is helpful for disaster relief and policy-making, and it can also provide useful scientific data for post-seismic reconstruction and restoration.

Monitoring the change of post-seismic landslides could provide valuable information for geological disaster treatment. The 2017 Jiuzhaigou Ms 7.0 earthquake has triggered a large number of landslides in the Jiuzhaigou United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Natural Heritage site, which provides a unique opportunity for monitoring the spatio-temporal characteristics and exploring the impact factors of post-seismic landslides change. In this study, the spatio-temporal characteristics of landslides and their post-seismic changes are analyzed using multi-source, multi-temporal, and multi-scale remote sensing data combining with the field study. The Support Vector Machine classification, visual interpretation, field investigation, and Geographic Information System technology are employed to extract landslides and analyze their spatial distribution patterns. Moreover, the Certainty Factor method is used to explore the susceptibility of landslides and to find key impact factors. Our results show that the net increase area of landslide is 1.2 km 2 until September 27th, 2019, which are induced by the expansion of coseismic landslide, the post-seismic landslide, and the expansion of vegetation degradation. Moreover, the area expansion of the coseismic and post-seismic landslides is mainly related to the increase of debris flow induced by the post-seismic torrential rainfalls. The highest net increase rate of post-seismic landslide change does not distribute on the regions with the highest density of coseismic landslides. The susceptibility of post-seismic landslide change is greatly influenced by slope, altitude, aspect, peak ground acceleration fault, and strata. It is higher in the coseismic landslide area with low susceptibility. This study also suggests that the potential landslides will most likely occur in the unstable slope region affected by the additional driving force. Therefore, great attention should be paid to identify and prevent the potential landslides on unstable slopes in addition to treatments of the sliding slopes. This study provides a good example for the monitoring and assessment of post-seismic landslides in mountainous regions with a steep slope and deep valley.

The 1932 Ms 7.6 earthquake struck the active Changma fault in the NE Tibetan Plateau, and produced a distinct surface rupture along the fault zone. However, the segmentation and termination of the surface rupture zone are still unclear. In this paper, the active tectonic analyses of multiple satellite images complemented by field investigations present the 120-km-long surface rupture zone, which can be divided into five discrete first-order segments, ranging from 14.4 to 39.56 km in length, linked by step-overs. Our results also indicate that the 1932 rupture zone could jump across step-overs 0.3–4.5 km long and 2.2–5.4 km wide in map view, but was terminated by a 6.3-km-wide restraining step-over at the eastern end. The left-lateral slip rates along the mid-eastern and easternmost segments of the Changma fault are 3.43 ± 0.5 mm/yr and 4.49 ± 0.5 mm/yr since 7–9 ka, respectively. The proposed tectonic models suggest that the slip rates on the Changma fault are similar to the slip rate on the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault system near the junction point with the Changma fault. These results imply that the Changma fault plays a leading role in the slip partitioning of the easternmost segment of the Altyn Tagh fault system.