DOKKA, Roy K. (rkdokka@biotite.geol.lsu.edu), Louisiana State University, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Baton Rouge, LA 70803; WATTS, Joseph M., (watts@tec.army.mil), U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center, Topographic Research Division; LADUE, Denise R. (dladue@tec.army.mil), Operations Division, Alexandria, VA 22315

Key Words: spatial pattern analysis, surface composition, geomorphic landforms, Mojave Desert

The Louisiana State University and the U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center have recently mapped geomorphic landforms, surface compositions, and geologic ages of the California portion of the Mojave Desert in support of the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Project. Using an integrated combination of spaceborne spectral scanners, airphoto interpretation, and geological field techniques, we have delineated ~30,000 polygons at a minimum mapping unit of 10 hectares for an area ~150,000 km². These GIS coverages are intended to impact a wide range of public and private sector functions including decision support for regional land managers, mineral exploration, education, and land use planning.

A detailed, regionally uniform dataset, such as this product, also contains a wealth of spatially explicit information that can be used for hypothesis construction and testing by research scientists. The objective of this paper is to present an exploratory spatial pattern analysis of Mojave Desert landforms to facilitate future scientific inquiries regarding causal relationships between tectonic process and geomorphic pattern. Our focus is on the identification and quantification of similarities and differences in physiographic composition (number of categories, proportions, diversity) and configuration (size, shape, adjacency, sinuosity) at sample locations. Hydrologically defined landscape units will be selected in the tectonically dissimilar western, central, and eastern sections of the Mojave Desert. For each sample, standard metrics of physiographic heterogeneity will be computed and compared for statistical similarity. In addition to tabular analysis, cartographic visualizations of the compositional landform database will be presented.