The landscape patterns and their dynamical changes of agricultural and pasturing interlaced zone of Northern Shaanxi Province in China from 1986 to 2000 are studied using three sets of multi-temporal remotely sensed data of TM

acquired in August of 1986

July of 1993

and August of 2000. Results show that the Shannon’s diversity index of whole landscape has increased; the whole landscape is conversing from simple to diversified landscape; the landscape types present a dispersed distribution in space; the structure of the landscape becomes more complex. The fragmentation indexes for arable land

forest land

grass land and construct land have increased

which indicates that the disperse index between patches has increased and patch shape becomes more irregular. The fragmentation index of landscape has increased.