Mapping groundwater recharge potential using GIS approach in Darwha block

Groundwater is the most important source of water in meeting irrigation, drinking, and other needs in India. The assessment of the potential zone for its recharge is critical for sustainable usage, quality management, and food security. This study reports alternative mapping of the groundwater recharge potential of a selected block by including large-scale soil data. Thematic layers of soil, geomorphology, slope, land use land cover, topographical wetness index, and drainage density of Darwha block (District Yavatmal, Maharashtra, India) were generated and integrated in a geographic information system environment. The topographic maps, thematic maps, field data, and satellite image were processed, classified, and weighted using analytical hierarchical process for their contribution to groundwater recharge. The layers were integrated by weighted linear combination method in the GIS environment to generate four groundwater potential zones viz., “poor,” “poor to moderate,” “moderate to high,” and “high.” Based on the generated groundwater potential map, about 9830 ha (12%) of the study area was categorized as high potential for recharge, 25,558 ha (31%) as poor to moderate, 33,398 ha (40%) as moderate to high, and 12,565 ha (15%) as poor potential zone. The zonation corresponds well with the field data on greater well density (0.22/ha) and irrigated crop area (27%) in the high potential zone as against 0.02 wells/ha and only 6% irrigated area in the poor zone. The map is recommended for use in regulating groundwater development decisions and judicious expenditure on drilling new wells by farmers and the state authorities.     

Assessment of Geological Security and Integrated Assessment Geo‐environmental Suitability in Worst‐hit Areas in Wenchuan Quake

Abstract: The Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and geo-hazards triggered by the earthquake caused large injuries and deaths as well as destructive damage for infrastructures like construction, traffic and electricity. It is urgent to select relatively secure areas for townships and cities constructed in high mountainous regions with high magnitude earthquakes. This paper presents the basic thoughts, evaluation indices and evaluation methods of geological security evaluation, water and land resources security demonstration and integrated assessments of geo-environmental suitability for reconstruction in alp and ravine with high magnitude earthquakes, which are applied in the worst-hit areas (12 counties). The integrated assessment shows that: (1) located in the Longmenshan fault zone, the evaluated area is of poor regional crust stability, in which the unstable and second unstable areas account for 79% of the total; (2) the geo-hazards susceptibility is high in the evaluation area. The spots of geo-hazards triggered by earthquake are mainly distributed along the active fault zone with higher distribution in the moderate and high mountains area, in which the areas of high and moderate susceptibility zoning accounts for 40.1% of the total; (3) geological security is poor in the evaluated area, in which the area of the unsuitable construction occupies 73.1%, whereas in the suitable construction area, the areas of geological security, second security and insecurity zoning account for 8.3%, 9.3% and 9.3% of the evaluated area respectively; (4) geo-environmental suitability is poor in the evaluated area , in which the areas of suitability and basic suitability zoning account for 3.5% and 7.3% of the whole evaluation area.     

Assessment of Geological Security and Integrated Assessment Geo-environmental Suitability in Worst-hit Areas in Wenchuan Quake

The Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and geo-hazards triggered by the earthquake caused large injuries and deaths as well as destructive damage for infrastructures like construction,traffic and electricity.It is urgent to select relatively secure areas for townships and cities constructed in high mountainous regions with high magnitude earthquakes.This paper presents the basic thoughts, evaluation indices and evaluation methods of geological security evaluation,water and land resources security demonstration ...     

Integrated GIS and remote sensing for mapping groundwater potentiality in the Tulul al Ashaqif,Northeast Jordan

Jordan with its limited water resources is currently classified as one of the four water-poor countries worldwide. This study was initiated to explore groundwater potential areas in Tulul al Ashaqif area, Jordan, by integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and multicriteria evaluation techniques. Eight thematic layers were built in a GIS and assigned using multicriteria evaluation techniques suitable weights and ratings regarding their relative contribution in groundwater occurrence. These layers include lithology, geomorphology, lineaments density, drainage density, soil texture, rainfall, elevation, and slope. The final groundwater potentiality map generated by GIS consists of five groundwater potentiality classes: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. The map showed that the study area is generally of moderate groundwater potentiality (76.35 %). The very high and high potential classes occupy 2.2 and 12.75 % of study area, respectively. The validity of results of this GIS-based model was carried out by superimposing existing hand dug wells on the final map. The single parameter sensitivity test was conducted to assess the influence of the assigned weights on the groundwater potential model, and new effective weights were derived. The resulted groundwater potentiality map showed that the area occupied by each of the groundwater potentiality classes has changed. However, the study area remains generally of moderate groundwater potentiality (70.93 % of the study area). The area occupied by the very high and high potential classes comprises 4.53 and 18.56 % of the study area, respectively.     

A GIS-index integration approach to groundwater suitability zoning for irrigation purposes

In recent decades, the high population growth has increased the demand for agricultural lands and products. Groundwater offers reliability and flexibility in access to water for irrigation purposes, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, such as Amol-Babol Plain, Iran. However, the quality and quantity of groundwater may not be suitable for irrigation purposes in all areas due to urbanizations, and intensive agricultural and industrial activities. Groundwater suitability zoning for irrigation purposes could be useful to improve water resources and land use planning, mostly in areas with water scarcity. Therefore, a GIS-based indices method is proposed to assess suitable zones for agricultural activities, integrating the irrigation water quality (IWQ) index and hydrogeological factors. IWQ index was utilized to assess groundwater quality based on salinity hazard, infiltration hazard, specific ions, and trace elements hazards, and miscellaneous effects such as pH, bicarbonate, and nitrate. The potential of the aquifer for irrigation water abstraction was investigated using hydrogeological surveys such as slope angle of the plain, hydraulic conductivity, and aquifer thickness. The groundwater suitability index classified most of the study area (more than 90 %) as “excellent” or “good” suitability zones for irrigation purposes. A limited area of around 5.6 % of the total area has moderate suitability for irrigation purposes due to the Caspian Seawater intrusion and the presence of fossil saline water. The proposed methodology provides useful information in order to allow irrigation management to prevent water and soil deterioration.     

Integrating GIS and DSS for identification of suitable areas for artificial recharge,case study Meimeh Basin,Isfahan, Iran

Flood spreading is an inexpensive method for flood mitigation and artificial recharge of aquifers that results in a large budget return for relatively small investment.It is necessary to study some regional characteristics in order to determine the appropriate areas for artificial groundwater recharge by flood spreading in Meimeh Basin, Isfahan Province, Iran. Necessary regional characteristics to be studied are: slope, infiltration rate, sediment thickness, transmissivity, and water quality. In this research to identify suitable areas for artificial recharge several thematic layers were prepared, assigning each layer to one of the mentioned characteristics. The thematic layers were classified to several classes based on the existing criteria. All of the classes of the thematic layers were integrated and analyzed using a decision support system (DSS) in a geographical information system (GIS) environment. Finally suitability of the integrated classes for artificial recharge was identified in which the following classes were separated:(i) Very suitable, (ii) suitable, (iii) moderate suitability, and (iv) unsuitable.The validity of the generated model was verified by applying the model to a number of successful floodwater spreading stations throughout Iran. The verified model showed satisfactory results for all of the stations. The results for Meimeh Basin showed that about 70% of the Quaternary sediments in the studied area are suitable and moderately suitable for artificial recharge by flood spreading.     

Groundwater vulnerability assessment in the Melaka State of Malaysia using DRASTIC and GIS techniques

The present work attempts to interpret the groundwater vulnerability of the Melaka State in peninsular Malaysia. The state of groundwater pollution in Melaka is a critical issue particularly in respect of the increasing population, and tourism industry as well as the agricultural, industrial and commercial development. Focusing on this issue, the study illustrates the groundwater vulnerability map for the Melaka State using the DRASTIC model together with remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS). The data which correspond to the seven parameters of the model were collected and converted into thematic maps by GIS. Seven thematic maps defining the depth to water level, net recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of vadose zone and hydraulic conductivity were generated to develop the DRASTIC map. In addition, this map was integrated with a land use map for generating the risk map to assess the effect of land use activities on the groundwater vulnerability. Three types of vulnerability zones were assigned for both DRASTIC map and risk map, namely, high, moderate and low. The DRASTIC map illustrates that an area of 11.02 % is low vulnerability, 61.53 % moderate vulnerability and 23.45 % high vulnerability, whereas the risk map indicates that 14.40 % of the area is low vulnerability, 47.34 % moderate vulnerability and 38.26 % high vulnerability in the study area. The most vulnerability area exists around Melaka, Jasin and Alor Gajah cities of the Melaka State.     

Delineation of groundwater potential zone in Chhatna Block, Bankura District, West Bengal, India using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Groundwater is one of the most valuable natural resources, which is an immensely important and dependable source of water supply in all climatic regions over the world. Groundwater is in demand in areas where surface water supply is inadequate and nonsexist in the Chhatna Block, Bankura district and is located on the eastern slope of Chotonagpur Plateau, which is mapped on 73 I/15, 73 I/16 and 73 M/3, and falls between latitude 23°10′–23°30′N and longitude 86°47′–87°02′E. It represents plain land and gentle slope, which is responsible for infiltration and groundwater recharge. The groundwater in this region is confined within the fracture zones and weathered residuum. The present investigation is, therefore, undertaken to delineate potential zones for groundwater development with the help of a remote-sensing study. IRS–LISS-III data along with other data sets, e.g., existing toposheets and field observation data, have been utilized to extract information on the hydrogeomorphic features which include valley fills, buried pediment moderate, buried pediment shallow and structural hills, lineament density contour and slope map of this hard rock terrain. The target of this study is to delineate the groundwater potential zones in Chhatna block, Bankura District, West Bengal. Satellite imagery, along with other data sets, has been utilized to extract information on the groundwater controlling features of this study area. Three features (hydrogeomorphology, slope, and lineaments) that influence groundwater occurrences were analyzed and integrated. All the information layers have been integrated through GIS analysis and the groundwater potential zones have been delineated. The weighted index overlay method has been followed to delineate groundwater potential zones. The results indicate that good to excellent groundwater potential zones are available in almost the entire block. The results show that there is good agreement between the predicted groundwater potential map and the existing groundwater borehole databases. The area is characterized by hard rock terrain—still due to the presence of planation surface along valley fills; it became the prospective zone. The area has been categorized into four distinct zones: excellent, good, fair and poor. Excellent groundwater potential zones constitute 30–35 % of the total block area; good groundwater potential zones occupy a majority of the block, covering approximately 55–60 % and the fair potential zones occupy about 10–15 % of the total block. Poor potential zones occupy a very insignificant portion (less than 1 %).     

Land suitability assessment for sugarcane cultivation in Bijnor district,India using geographic information system and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process

Land suitability evaluation is prerequisite for assessing the limitations for sustainable land use planning. We used ten site specific criteria (rainfall, texture, drainage, soil depth, slope, distance to major road, distance to nearest sugar mill, erosion hazard, risk of flooding and pH) and applied weighted multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) technique in a geographic information system (GIS) environment to evaluate land suitability for sugarcane cultivation in Bijnor district, India. The weightage of all the parameters was calculated through fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Sugarcane suitability map was prepared integrating various parameters through weighted overlay analysis. The map was categorized as highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3) and unsuitable (N). The analysis revealed that of the total cultivable land of the district, largest area (61%) was highly suitable followed by moderately suitable (24%), marginally suitable (7%) and unsuitable (8%) for sugarcane cultivation. Nagina, Najibabad and Bijnor sub-districts need attention of land managers and policy makers to remove the limitations and increase the suitability of sugarcane in such areas. Only 7% area was unsuitable for sugarcane cultivation. Slope, soil depth and erosion hazard were the major limiting factors making the land unsuitable for sugarcane cultivation. Therefore, these areas should be given priority for land and soil restoration efforts. The study showed effectiveness of integrated GIS and MCE approach for land suitability analysis of sugarcane.     

Integrating remote sensing and GIS for identification of groundwater prospective zones in the Narava basin, Visakhapatnam region, Andhra Pradesh

This paper mainly deals with the integrated approach of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) to delineate groundwater prospective zones in Narava basin, Visakhapatnam region. The various thematic maps generated for delineating groundwater potential zones are geomorphology, geology, lineament density, drainage density, slope and land use/land cover (LULC). Weighted index overlay (WIO) technique is used to investigate a number of choice possibilities and evaluate suitability according to the associated weight of each unit. The integrated map of the area shows different zones of groundwater prospects, viz. very good (18.9% of the area), good (26.4% of the area), moderate (17.1% of the area) and poor (37.6% of the area). The categorization of groundwater potential was in good agreement with the available water column in the basin area.     

Siting MSW landfills by combining AHP with GIS in Hamedan province, western Iran

In most large and fast growing urban areas, finding suitable lands for construction of landfill is one of the serious problems in environmental management. Land fill site selection process depends on different factors, regulations and constraints. Ignoring each of these parameters may cause miscalculations and lead to selection of an inappropriate landfill site which could have negative environmental, economical, and ecological impacts. Therefore, this process must be accomplished by taking into account all of the related criterions and variables. In this study, landfill site selection is performed by combining geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in Hamedan province, west of Iran. In relation to landfill site selection, ten different criteria including Geology, surface water, aquifer, land use, elevation, slope, and distance to main roads, residential areas, faults and sinkholes were investigated. Using AHP each criterion was weighted, then geographic information system (Arc GIS 9.3 software) was used to manipulate and present spatial data. Finally, suitability map was prepared by overlay analyses and most suitable and suitable areas were identified and checked in field. The results indicate that 60.4 % of the area in the Hamedan province (11,631 km²) is unsuitable, 33 % (6,257.7 km²) moderately suitable and 6.6 % (1,344 km²) most suitable for construction of landfill.     

Assessment of geo-environmental properties depressing urban development with GIS: a case study of Kozlu settlement,Turkey

Kozlu is a mining town only 5 km away from the main city of Zonguldak and initially was not favored for settlement due to its rugged and hilly topography. However, along with hard coal production in large quantities throughout the years came the industrialization at its full speed with plenty job opportunities which then gave rise to intense population in the region where there were only a few sheds and slums just a century ago. Workers migrating to Kozlu in thousands needed dwellings to live in, but the law, so-called the Coal Basin Restrictions Law which came in effect in 1910, hindered the implementation of zoning plans. Planned housing was not possible in the region not until the abolishment of the law in 1986. During these 76 years, the settlement in the area mostly by the mining and industry workers was carried out without proper zoning plans, usually on demand basis. Today because of this unplanned housing and harsh topography, the Kozlu settlement area (KSA) has a history of being attraction point for many natural and man-made disasters which can be summarized as are topography, geological and carstic structure, mining activities and mass movements. In this study, a settlement suitability map is produced for the study area using a geographic information system. The map produced is designated into four settlement suitability zones, namely suitable to settlement, slightly suitable to settlement, suitable to settlement with precautions and unsuitable to settlement. It clearly shows that 24.73% of the study area lies in suitable and slightly suitable to settlement areas while the bulky rest pertains to suitable to settlement with precautions and unsuitable to settlement. The latest studies show that the 37.5% of the buildings and houses in the KSA are situated on the lithologic units identified as hydrogeological permeable and semipermeable, 7.8% on carstic caverns and a hefty rate of 47.6% on the surfaces deformed by mining-induced subsidence. Therefore, it is needless to claim that the administrators of Kozlu should promptly develop a settlement plan for the welfare of the city.     

长江经济带上游地区丘陵城市工程建设适宜性评价——以泸州市规划中心城区为例

以长江经济带上游地区泸州市规划中心城区为例,建立了包括多因素综合评价模型和多层次评价指标体系的工程建设适宜性评价方法,采用模糊赋权法和层次分析法相结合的组合赋权法计算评价指标的权重,利用GIS空间分析技术对泸州市规划中心城区工程建设适宜性进行了评价,并对评价方法的可靠性进行了分析。结果表明：泸州市规划中心城区工程建设适宜性整体较好,以适宜、较适宜为主,其中适宜区、较适宜区分别占研究区总面积的36.16%、28.81%,此外适宜性差区、不适宜区各占20.96%、8.07%;泸州市城市规划建设、重大工程建设选址应在适宜区和较适宜区范围内,尽量避免适宜性差和不适宜地区;在适宜性差和不适宜地区进行工程建设应注意不同区段现有和可能诱发的地质灾害、地基不均匀沉降、软土、坍岸等问题的防治。建立的评价方法在丘陵城市工程建设适宜性评价上适用性较好。     

GIS-based multi-criteria land suitability analysis for sustainable agriculture in the northeast area of Tadla plain (Morocco)

Assessment of soil suitability for sustainable intensive agriculture is an appropriate tool to select the land suitable for agricultural production with the least economic and environmental costs. This study was conducted to evaluate the agricultural soil quality in the northeast area of Tadla plain (Morocco) using geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Six soil quality indicators, i.e., pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, texture, salinity and slope were considered and performed in 60 subsurface soil samples. AHP method was utilized to identify the weight of each indicator from the pairwise comparison matrix. The weighted sum overlay analysis was then used to generate the soil quality map in a GIS environment, by overlaying both indicator weights and sub-indicator weights. The studied area was classified into four soil quality categories, i.e., poor, medium, good, and excellent, the percentage of each category is 1.12, 20.98, 61.07 and 16.83%, respectively. The results indicated that 1.12% of the study area has poor suitability for sustainable intensive agriculture due to their unsuitable texture and low salinity, while about 77% of cultivated soils are adapted to agricultural production. The above results could be useful for the management of agricultural activity.     

Land suitability decision support for assessing land use changes in areas west of Nile Delta,Egypt

The main objective of this study was to discuss the efficiency of agricultural land suitability for assessing land use types in rural areas. In this research, El-Nubariya area west of Nile Delta was selected as a case study site, which considers one of the high priority regions for future development in Egypt. As input, a total of ten representative soil profiles and number of observations points were used for collecting soil samples. Based on the field survey, laboratory analysis, and satellite image interpretation in cooperation with geographic information system (GIS), the physiographic map was executed. Three main landscape units were identified as follow: marine deposits, eolian deposits, and river terraces. The soils were classified mainly as Typic Torripsamments, Typic Paleorthids, and Typic Calciorthids. Land suitability assessment was done to define maps of the suitable areas for agricultural production using MicroLEIS microcomputer program and ALESarid-GIS system as well. According to the crop suitability results, the most suitable crops to grow in the study area were maize, melon, potato, sunflower, onion, garlic, olive, and date palm in the order indicated. Generally, the data on land suitability resulting from the evaluation models indicated that 56.1 % of the area is considered as suitable, 30.8 % is moderately to marginally suitable, and 13.1 % is not suitable. The main limitation factors for land suitability are the excess of salts, shallow soil depth, and inadequate drainage conditions. The output results are presented as georeferenced soil suitability maps using GIS utilities.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping based on GIS and information value model for the Chencang District of Baoji,China

The main objective of this study was to apply a statistical (information value) model using geographic information system (GIS) to the Chencang District of Baoji, China. Landslide locations within the study area were identified using reports and aerial photographs, and a field survey. A total of 120 landslides were mapped, of which 84 (70 %) were randomly selected for building the landslide susceptibility model. The remaining 36 (30 %) were used for model validation. We considered a total of 10 potential factors that predispose an area to a landslide for the landslide susceptibility mapping. These included slope degree, altitude, slope aspect, plan curvature, geomorphology, distance from faults, lithology, land use, mean annual rainfall, and peak ground acceleration. Following an analysis of these factors, a landslide susceptibility map was produced using the information value model with GIS. The resulting landslide susceptibility index was divided into five classes (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low) using the natural breaks method. The corresponding distribution area percentages were 29.22, 25.14, 15.66, 15.60, and 14.38 %, respectively. Finally, landslide locations were used to validate the results of the landslide susceptibility map using areas under the curve (AUC). The AUC plot showed that the susceptibility map had a success rate of 81.79 % and a prediction accuracy of 82.95 %. Based on the results of the AUC evaluation, the landslide susceptibility map produced using the information value model exhibited good performance.     

Suitability evaluation of rural residential areas under the threat of geological disasters:A case study in Yinchanggou watershed of Pengzhou City

At present, the research on the layout of rural residential areas in the mountainous environment under the threat of earthquake disasters and frequent geological disasters is still rare. Taking Yinchanggou watershed in Longmenshan Town of Pengzhou City as an example, based on the summary of the geological hazard development characteristics in this area, the authors carried out the hazard risk zoning through 8 indexes. Then the geological hazard risk zoning was used as the primary factor to evaluate the suitability of rural residential areas. Besides, combined with the topographical conditions, socio-economic situation and ecological environment, a suitable evaluation index system for rural residential land under the threat of geological disasters was constructed, with the restrictive conditions of extremely high-risk areas, single geological hazards, slopes ≥25° and basic farmland protection areas. Finally, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was used to evaluate the suitability of residential land in Yinchanggou watershed of Pengzhou City. The results show that high suitability areas account for 4.2% of the total area of the study area, moderate suitability areas 11.4%, low suitability areas 10.5%, and unsuitable areas 73.8%. The “suitable” areas for rural residential land are mainly distributed along the highway, and some are multiple “blocky” concentrated distribution areas. The terrain is flat and the traffic condition is convenient, which can provide some guidance for the selection of new rural residential locations.     

地质灾害威胁下的农村居民点用地适宜性评价——以彭州市银厂沟流域为例

目前针对受震灾威胁、地质灾害频发的山地环境下的农村居民点布局研究尚不多见。该文以彭州市龙门山镇银厂沟流域为例,首先在总结分析区内地质灾害发育特征的基础上,基于8项指标进行地质灾害危险性分区; 然后,将地质灾害危险性区划结果作为影响农村居民点用地适宜性评价的首要因素,再结合地形条件、社会经济和生态环境等方面,以地质灾害极高危险区、单体地质灾害危害范围、坡度≥25°和基本农田保护区为限制性条件,构建地质灾害威胁下的农村居民点用地适宜性评价指标体系; 最后,采用模糊综合评价法对彭州市银厂沟流域内居民点用地适宜性进行评价分级。研究结果表明: 高度适宜区占研究区总面积的4.2%,中度适宜区占11.4%,低度适宜区占10.5%,不适宜区占73.8%; 农村居民点用地“适宜”区域主要沿公路分布,并存在多个“块状”集中分布区,这些地区地形平坦,交通条件便利,可为新农村住宅位置的选择提供指导意见。     

Determining groundwater protection zones for the Quaternary aquifer of northeastern Nile Delta using GIS-based vulnerability mapping

The area of study lies at the northeastern part of Nile Delta. Global shoreline regression and sea-level rise have their own-bearing on the groundwater salinization due to seawater intrusion. A new adopted approach for vulnerability mapping using the hydrochemical investigations, geographic information system and a weighted multi-criteria decision support system (WMCDSS) was developed to determine the trend of groundwater contamination by seawater intrusion. Six thematic layers were digitally integrated and assigned different weights and rates. These have been created to comprise the most decisive criteria used for the delineation of groundwater degradation due to seawater intrusion. These criteria are represented by the total dissolved solids, well discharge, sodium adsorption ratio, hydrochemical parameter (Cl/HCO₃), hydraulic conductivity and water types. The WMCDSS modeling was tried, where a groundwater vulnerability map with four classes ranging from very low to high vulnerability was gained. The map pinpointed the promising localities for groundwater protection, which are almost represented by the very low or low vulnerability areas (53.69 % of the total study area). The regions having high and moderate groundwater vulnerability occupy 46.31 % of total study area, which designate to a deteriorated territory of groundwater quality, and needs special treatment and cropping pattern before use. However, the moderate groundwater vulnerability class occupies an area of about 28.77 % of the total mapped area, which highlighted the need for certain management practices to prevent the saltwater intrusion from expanding further to the south. There was a good correlation of the constructed vulnerability map with the recently gathered water quality data and hydrochemical facies evolution. The plotting of water quality data on Piper trilinear diagram revealed the evolution of freshwater into the mixing and the saline zones as an impact of seawater intrusion, which validates the model results.     

A method for mineral prospectivity mapping integrating C4.5 decision tree,weights-of-evidence and m-branch smoothing techniques: a case study in the eastern Kunlun Mountains,China

In this study, a novel method that integrates C4.5 decision tree, weights-of-evidence and m-branch smoothing techniques was proposed for mineral prospectivity mapping. First, a weights-of-evidence model was used to rank the importance of each evidential map and determine the optimal buffer distance. Second, a classification technique that uses a C4.5 decision tree in data mining was used to construct a decision tree classifier for the grid dataset. Finally, an m-branch smoothing technique was used as a predictor, which transformed the decision tree into a probability evaluation tree. The method makes no conditional independence assumption and can be applied for class imbalanced datasets like those collected during mineral exploration for prospectivity mapping of an area. The traits of comprehensibility, accuracy and efficiency were derived from the C4.5 decision tree. In addition, a case study for iron prospectivity mapping was performed in the eastern Kunlun Mountains, China. Sixty-two Skarn iron deposits and eight evidential maps related to iron mineralization were studied. On the final map, areas of low, moderate and high potential for iron deposit occurrence covered areas of 71,491, 14,298, and 9,532 km², respectively. For the goodness-of-fit test, 91.94 % of the total 62 iron deposits were within a high-potential area, 8.06 % were within a moderate-potential area and 0 % were within a low-potential area. For ten-fold cross-validation, 82.26 % were within a high-potential area, 14.52 % were within a moderate-potential area and 3.22 % were within a low-potential area. To evaluate the predictive accuracy, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and Area Under ROC Curve (AUC) were employed. The accuracy of the goodness-of-fit test reached 97.07 %, and the accuracy of the ten-fold cross-validation was 95.10 %. The majority of the iron deposits were within high-potential and moderate-potential areas, which covered a small proportion of the study area.