Machine Learning-Based Mapping of Rock Glaciers in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Advancing a Comprehensive Inventory and Accuracy Assessment

This dataset provides a comprehensive inventory of 47,916 rock glaciers covering 4,820 km² (mean area: 0.1 km²) across the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau (STP). The inventory was initially mapped from Planet Basemap imagery using a SegFormer model, followed by expert-based delineation and verification using high-resolution Google Earth imagery. The mapping process followed the International Permafrost Association (IPA) Action Group Rock Glacier Inventories and Kinematics (RGIK) guidelines (v1.0, 2024). The dataset is publicly distributed in both GeoPackage (.gpkg) and ESRI Shapefile (.shp) formats in the WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG:4326). For both formats, the data are structured into two files: One file containing the polygon outlines of the rock glaciers. One file providing their representative center points (centroids). Each record across both files is populated with 18 characteristic geometric and environmental parameters. Attribute columns Explanation Units RG_ID Local Sequential Identifier Reviser Reviser’s name Checker Checker’s name Area Rock glacier area m2 PreSD Prediction source data ModSD Modification source data PreSDD Prediction source data date LON Rock glacier centroid longitude ° LAT Rock glacier centroid latitude ° AP Annual precipitation mm a-1 SLOPE Mean slope of rock glacier ° MAGT Mean annual ground temperature °C ET Annual evapotranspiration mm a-1 ELE Mean elevation of rock glacier m a.s.l. ASPECT Aspect of rock glacier PISR Annual potential incoming solar radiation kJ m-2 d-1 SCD Snow cover day d MAAT Mean annual air temperature °C Subregion Subregion of rock glacier