This paper puts forward the land use classification map of Yulin City

Shaanxi Province in recent13years by using supervised classification method based on Landsat TM images in the years of 1997and2010.Furthermore

GIS spatial techniques combined with quantitative and qualitative methods were used toanalyze the spatiotemporal patterns of land use change and its driving mechanisms.It was found that therewas a significant change for the spatiotemporal land use patterns of Yulin City from 1997to 2010.Orchard

grassland and forestland increased dramatically and their increasing ranges were 1 578.8%

108% and84.6%

respectively.Cropland and unused land were significantly reduced by 57.1% and 59.3%.The regional differences of the land use and land cover change were very obvious.However

the overall phenomenon about the regional land use change and conversions were that unused land

sandy land and cropland hadbeen turned into grassland

forestland and orchards by the measures such as comprehensive treatment and thereturning farmland to forest/grass land.