Structure of volcanic landscape in the equatorial belt (A case study of the Kerinci Volcano, Sumatra Island)

Abstract

An analysis is made of the volcanic landscape structure of Mount Kerinci, the highest volcano in South-East Asia. Field observations, remote sensing methods, and also cartographic material were used in obtaining new evidence to gain a more penetrating insight into the characteristics of structure and altitudinal zonation of the landscapes along the equatorial belt that have shaped themselves and are evolving in conditions of intense volcanic activity, equatorial climate and heavy anthropogenic load. The analysis revealed natural and anthropogenic landscape-forming factors that determined the present-day landscape appearance of the Kerinci volcano. Within the boundaries of the volcanic structure, landscapes of the mountain class show the highest diversity of landscape taxa. They are represented largely by slope units. With an increase in altitude, there is an increase in the proportion of landscapes of steep and vertical slopes as well as moderately steep slopes, along with the disappearance of landscapes of smart slopes and valley bottoms. A less diverse landscape structure is characteristic for subclasses of aggraded-denudation plains where there occur only landscapes with bogs and waterlogged meadows predominating. Anthropogenic modifications of landscapes occur mostly within subclasses of smart slopes and aggraded-denudation plains. They are characterized by a predominance of agricultural plants.