PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY ANALYSIS OF THE MORPHOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION CHARACTERISTICS AND INFLUENCE FACTORS OF CIRQUE IN THE TENASSERIM CHAIN OF SOUTHEASTERN TIBET

By adopting the means of geographic information system (GIS), and applying the methods of cluster analysis, correlation analysis, natural break points, and so on, this study selected 14 cirque morphology parameters in order to conduct a deep analysis of the morphology, size characteristics, and distribution rule of 965 cirques in the Tenasserim Chain. The results indicated that there were three types of cirques in the research area as follows: circular (27.8%), long (45.4%), and wide cirques (26.7%). There was found to be an obvious correlation between the area, length, width, height, and range (A, L, W, H, R). The cirques above 3900 m in the research area were divided into 4 classes by adopting a natural break point method, and were divided into 4 altitude ranges: 3900 to 4670 m, 4670 to 4920 m, 4920 to 5060 m, and 5060 to 5360 m. The cirque morphology showed obvious differences in the different altitude zones. The slope distribution of cirque was mainly affected by the precipitation, and the structural and topographic factors also showed control effects on the cirque distribution. The orientation distribution was mainly controlled by the air temperature which was controlled by the radiation.