Fig. 2: Nearest neighbor index distribution of SRSCs.

This figure presents the results of an Average Nearest Neighbor analysis, used to assess the spatial pattern of SRSCs. The nearest neighbor ratio is 0.478152, indicating a clustered distribution. The observed mean distance between features is 0.049284 degrees, while the expected mean distance under a random distribution is 0.103072 degrees. The resulting z-score of −7.924018 and a p value of 0.000000 suggest that there is less than a 1% probability that this clustered pattern is due to random chance. The bell curve illustrates the statistical significance of the pattern: the blue-shaded area on the left represents significant clustering (z-score <−2.58), while the yellow area denotes randomness, and the red-shaded area on the right indicates significant dispersion. The figure includes schematic representations of clustered, random, and dispersed spatial distributions to visually reinforce the statistical interpretation. This result supports the conclusion that SRSCs in the region are not randomly distributed but exhibit significant spatial clustering.