在探討影響石窟藝術流傳演化的因素中，作者試以從地理地質條件、宗教現象、田調觀察及感觸，理出相關因素：其一、因地制宜運用或受限當地的地理及地質條件。其二、遵行戒律或傳承教法以適應宗教活動及生活場所的需求。其三、受各地區不同人文、習俗、藝術風格影響。本文以第一點為研究主題，其主要內容：窟內開挖的量體、石窟形制與構成；窟外不同材料疊砌的量體與造形表現、窟外空間與自然地理地質環境不同的結合運用的現象；窟緣空間與壁面各種工事構造物的處理；石窟選址與大河的關連。按各地區不同的地理地質因素與條件，影響著石窟開挖、疊砌或各種土石造工事及設施等，以流傳各地區的佛教石窟藝術載體，呈現出各種不同的石窟空間莊嚴現象，作陳述並列舉田調照片說明。

The thesis was inspired by the geological condition, religion requirement, and the insights gained from field research and aims to explore the circulation and transformation of carve art. The results are as follows: first, cave art went through a process of localization and were limited by the local geological condition; second, cave art was adjusted to comply with the regulation of percepts, to pass down the tradition, or to satisfy the daily need for living; finally, cave art was influenced by the customs and artistic style of different areas. The thesis probes into the first result and breaks the point into the following phenomenon: the excavated volume and the form of cave, the volume structured by different materials and the artistic expression, the installation of the construction at the entrance and edge of the cave, the design combining the outer cave space and the environment, and the connection between the location of the cave and the river in front of the cave. Those are all the expressions of affected geographical factors and heroic Buddha established by the excavation of the cave and the compilation of stone structure.