Influence of topography on the asymmetry of rill cross-sections in the Yuanmou dry-hot valley

Rill erosion is one of the most common types of erosion, and the development conditions of the asymmetric characteristics of rill cross-sections are still relatively poorly understood. To explore the relationship between rill topography and rill cross-sectional asymmetry, we used the microtopographic profiler method to measure 712 groups of rill cross-sections in the Yuanmou dry-hot valley area. The results of correlation analysis and principal component analysis to investigate the topographical conditions of rill development show that: (1) asymmetry is the main feature in rill cross-sections; 53% of rill cross-sections are right-biased and 47% are left-biased. (2) There is an extremely significant positive correlation between the slope difference and the rill cross-section asymmetry ratio (p < 0.01); the asymmetry ratio increases as the slope difference on both sides (B) increases, and the directionality of the asymmetry ratio is affected by B. The difference between the catchment areas on both sides has a significant linear correlation with the asymmetry ratio of the width (r = 0.07, p < 0.05). (3) Seven topographic factors were divided into two types of principal components: the first represents the rill slope surface shape and the rill shape, and the second represents the difference between the two sides of the rill.