Abstract: The cropland loss has an important impact on food security, social stability and economic development. The ecological environment in mining area is fragile, and grasping the spatial and temporal characteristics of cropland loss can provide a reference for guiding the agricultural development and restoring the ecological environment. Four phases (1986, 1994, 2006 and 2015) of TM and OLI images as main data sources are used to analyze, the spatial and temporal characteristics of cropland loss by using the change rate of individual land type area, importance index and landscape index. The following results are obtained. During the period of 1986-1994, the cultivated land was reduced by 2%, and the cultivated land to the construction land was widely distributed. During the period of 1994-2006, the cultivated land was reduced by 6.9%, and the cultivated land to industrial and mining land was the dominant type of spatial change.During the period of 2006-2015, the cultivated land was reduced by 13.7%. The spatial distribution of cultivated land to grassland was wider, but the cultivated land to industrial and mining land was the dominant type of spatial change. The landscape pattern of cultivated land has remarkable interannual variability, and the degree of landscape fragmentation is increasing, and landscape shapes become more and more complex. The policy of grain for green, the construction of urban and rural areas and the exploitation of coal are the main influencing factors of cropland loss. This research is significant for the protection and sustainable utilization of cultivated land resources in Xuangang mining area.

Key words: Xuangang mining area, Shanxi, China, cropland loss, driving forces, grain for green, remote sensing