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Mechanisms for earth fissure formation due to groundwater extraction in the Su-Xi-Chang area, China

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Abstract

Excessive groundwater withdrawal has caused many earth fissures in the cities of Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou (i.e., the Su-Xi-Chang area or “SXC area”) in Jiangsu Province, China. The appearance of these fissures is closely associated with groundwater withdrawal both temporally and spatially. Based on field investigations, three models of the earth fissures in the SXC area were conceptualized. The changes in and distributions of normal and shear stress in hydrostratigraphic units due to groundwater extraction were analyzed numerically for each conceptualized model. Results from these numerical simulations indicated that geological conditions play a crucial role in the occurrence and distribution of earth fissures. Earth fissures are much more likely to initiate in areas where the depth of the bedrock below the ground surface is small, the thickness of the exploited aquifer unit changes abruptly, and the surface of the bedrock undulates dramatically. Earth fissures are also likely to occur in the vicinity of a distant restricted boundary. In addition, very stiff topsoil is more prone to cracking, and the locations of discharge wells also influence the occurrence of earth fissures.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Ministry of Land and Resources of China for financial support (grant no 201411096-03). The authors are also grateful for the constructive comments of the anonymous reviewers selected by this journal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China

    Yun Zhang, Zhecheng Wang, Yuqun Xue & Jichun Wu

  2. Geological Survey of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210018, China

    Jun Yu

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  1. Yun Zhang
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  2. Zhecheng Wang
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  3. Yuqun Xue
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  4. Jichun Wu
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  5. Jun Yu
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Correspondence to Yun Zhang.

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Zhang, Y., Wang, Z., Xue, Y. et al. Mechanisms for earth fissure formation due to groundwater extraction in the Su-Xi-Chang area, China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 75, 745–760 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0775-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0775-0

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