Experimental study on pumping-induced land subsidence and earth fissures: a case study in the Su-Xi-Chang region, China
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Experimental study on pumping-induced land subsidence and earth fissures: a case study in the Su-Xi-Chang region, China Xulong Gong 1 & Jishi Geng 2
&
Qiang Sun 3,4 & Chunsheng Gu 1 & Weiqiang Zhang 2
Received: 20 February 2019 / Accepted: 26 May 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Land subsidence and earth fissures caused by excessive groundwater exploitation severely damage the surrounding property and environment. To examine changes caused by land subsidence and earth fissures, a large-scale physical-geological model was designed to simulate groundwater exploitation and the conditions of bedrock ridges. This model enables real-time monitoring of the groundwater level, soil strain, and changes to subsidence and fissures. It is based on a case study conducted on the ground surface of Guangming Village in the Su-Xi-Chang region, China. The results revealed the following: (1) the land subsidence lagged behind the decline in water level during the pumping process; (2) a strong agreement between the shape and location of the bedrock ridge and settlement was reached, and the region with the most severe subsidence corresponded to the distribution of the fissures; (3) the tensile-stress concentration of the soil mass was essentially the same as that during the stage when the fissures developed, (which is an important means of determining the fissure development); and (4) the rose diagram illustrating the fissures indicated the fissures in the area of the bedrock ridge propagated parallel to the contour lines of the bedrock ridge. These results are consistent with the changes in the earth fissures examined in the case study and, therefore, provide support for the use of the physical-geological model in future research on ground fissures. Keywords Land subsidence . Earth fissure . Groundwater exploitation . Bedrock ridge . Physical-geological model
Introduction Excessive groundwater exploitation has led to negative impacts on the environment, primarily in the form of groundsurface subsidence and the development of earth fissures, both of which damage the surfaces of structures including buildings, roads, bridges, highways, earthen dams, and sewagedisposal facilities (Galloway and Burbey 2011; Tzampoglou
* Jishi Geng [email protected] 1
Key Laboratory of Earth Fissures Geological Disaster, Ministry of Natural Resources (Geological Survey of Jiangsu Province), Nanjing 210018, China
2
School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
3
Geological Research Institute for Coal Green Mining, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
4
College of Geology and Environment, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
and Loupasakis 2018; Wang et al. 2009a; Zhang et al. 2008). The damage caused by land subsidence and earth fissures has been found in many areas around the world, such as in the Tucson Basin in Arizona and the Houston-Galveston region in Texas (Galloway et a
