Abstract:

Excessive exploitation of groundwater in China has induced serious earth fissure hazards, which can cause significant
damage and heavy economic losses, and has received significant attention. In recent decades, mechanisms of earth fissures induced by groundwater withdrawal have been studied by researchers worldwide and many remarkable achievements have been accomplished. The results of previous studies were analyzed in this article firstly and then the mechanisms of earth fissure induced by excessive exploitation of groundwater were summarized and categorized as differential subsidence, horizontal tensile strain, and Four Earth Fissure Formation Conceptual Models. Then the distribution of earth fissures, development features and mechanisms of earth fissures in three regions (i.e., the Fenwei Basin, North China Plain and Su-Xi-Chang in China) where typical“groundwater-withdraw-induced” fissures developed, were elaborated, and a typical earth fissure was chosen to analyze its cause. Results indicate that earth fissures in the Fenwei Basin and North China Plain were mainly caused by pre-existing faults and excessively ground water exploitation, while the fissures in the Su-Xi-Chang region were generally induced by a“bedrock ridge”below the aquifer and excessively ground water exploitation.Differentialcompactionandhorizontalstrainmechanismscausingthedevelopmentofsuchearthfissureswerethenexplained.

Key words: earth fissure, groundwater withdrawal, mechanism, Fenwei Basin, North China Plain, Su-Xi-Chang area