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The occurrence of earthquakes has been recognized as a natural disaster capable of significantly impacting land use/cover change (LUCC) patterns. During the post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction phase, obtaining an accurate and scientific grounded understanding of the LUCC process in the affected area is essential for analyzing the subsequent changes in recovery and identifying the underlying driving forces. In this study, we selected the 2014 Ludian Ms6.5 earthquake as the focal point of our research. Through the utilization of Google Earth Engine and Landsat 8 OLI remote sensing image, we employed the Random Forest classification algorithm to analyze the structural and transformational changes of LUCC in Ludian County prior to and post the earthquake. In addition, we produced comprehensive post-earthquake damage map and recovery map through the LUCC transfer amount to analyze each township's damage and recovery degree quantitatively. Finally, we employed the geographic detector to investigate the driving factors contributing to the post-earthquake recovery degree. As is demonstrated by our results, the earthquake inflicted substantial damage on cropland, grassland, and built-up areas, with Longtoushan Town and Huodehong Town suffering the most severe damage. After three years, we found that cropland and built-up areas had been restored, while previously unused land had been successfully treated, yielding initial restoration progress. Upon reaching the six-year mark, built-up areas continued to expand, while cropland acreage exhibited a decline in comparison to the P1 and P2 phases. Concurrently, forest and grassland areas increased relative to the P1 and P2 phases, signifying Ludian County's successful restoration. The factor detection results show that socio-economic factors are potent factors that promote post-earthquake recovery, and the earthquake factors also have a continuous impact. The research results can serve as a valuable reference for informing local disaster area reconstruction planning as well as ensuring effective protection of ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]