Human activities in the marginal zone of the Changtang Plateau(CTP)uninhabited area are important research topics in China and globally.Based on the core-periphery theory of geography,this paper selected three counties in the marginal zone of the CTP uninhabited area with significant transitional physical geography features and socio-economic conditions as case areas.We used the data set of settlement patches identified by visual interpretation in Google Earth Pro,combining them with field survey data to study the evolution of human settlements on the CTP,the characteristics of settlement layout,and their socio-economic roots.The study found that:(1)Since the democratic reform in Tibet,the production mode of herders on the CTP has transitioned from four-season nomadic herding to cold-season sedentary grazing,warm-season rotational grazing,and then to a combination of sedentary grazing and forage supplementation.In structural changes of grassroots organizations,village boundaries were clarified,grazing ranges were fixed,and settlement systems were formed.(2)On a large scale,the settlement layout on the CTP showed a certain degree of agglomeration in local areas,but the settlements’spatial agglomeration decreased as the observation scale decreased.The settlement size structure matched the typical rank-size rule of rural settlements.(3)The settlement layout of the CTP showed significant traffic lines and dominant location orientation.These orientation characteristics revealed“core-periphery”regional differences.Changes in production conditions,such as artificial grass cultivation and part-time employment,affected the dependence on traditional grazing points.Settlements moved from resource dependence to dependence on multiple elements,such as resources and facilities.The religious,cultural heritage of the sacred mountains,lakes,and temples influenced the settlement layout,leading to clustering in local areas and to group format.This study expands our understanding of the settlement pattern in the marginal zone
