Fully mining the free data provided by Google Earth (GE) can effectively compensate for the lack of data available in the study area. Based on GE and GIS technology, the digital elevation model in a typical peak cluster-depression area - the Guohua ecologic demonstration plot is established in the paper. The rocky desertification in the study area in 2003 years has been assessed with two indicators, the vegetation cover and the slope gradient. The results show that the area of the rocky desertification zone is 5.63 km2 which ac- counts for up to 64. 75% of all the area. Slight rocky desertification,covering an area of 3.92 km2, is the major rocky desertification type.