Abstract:In order to reveal spatial variation of soil nutrients in Langxi county in Anhui province, and clarify spatial distribution patterns and key driving factors, based on traditional statistics, geographic information systems (GIS), and geographic detector models, the content characteristics, spatial distribution patterns and dominant influencing factors of eight nutrient indicators, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter, boron, manganese, selenium and molybdenum in 4054 surface soil samples from Langxi county have been analyzed systematically. It is showed that all nutrient indicators exhibit moderate variability. The spatial differentiation of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter is mainly controlled by land use types. The spatial distribution of potassium and boron is mainly dominated by geological background. The spatial variation of manganese is influenced by synergistic effect of terrain and land use types. The spatial differentiation of selenium and molybdenum is influenced by a combination of geological background, topographical conditions and land use types.