Changes of Precipitation Infiltration Recharge in the Circumstances of Coal Mining Subsidence in the Shen‐Dong Coal Field, China

Abstract:Coal mining subsidence is a universal environmental‐geological problem in mining areas. By selecting the Shen‐Dong coal mining subsidence area as the research field, this paper studies the changes in precipitation infiltration recharge in the circumstances of coal mining subsidence by means of field geological investigation and laboratory simulation experiments, which is expected to provide a scientific basis for eco‐environmental restoration in the mining area. The results indicate that at the unstable stage of subsidence, three types of subsidence in the Shen‐Dong mining area have positive effects on the precipitation infiltration recharge, and the type of full‐thickness bedrock subsidence has the greatest influence. In the stable stage of subsidence, the precipitation infiltration process after long‐term drought and the moisture migration in the aeration zone undergo three different stages: evaporation‐infiltration before precipitation, infiltration‐upward infiltration‐infiltration during precipitation and evaporation‐infiltration after precipitation. During a heavy rainfall infiltration process, the wetting front movement in fine sand, coarse sand and dualistic structure of fine‐coarse sand consists of two stages: the stage of wetting front movement during precipitation, in which the wetting front movement distance has linear relationship with the depth, and the stage of wetting front movement after precipitation, in which the wetting front movement distance has the power function relationship with the depth. The wetting front movement velocity is influenced by the rainfall amount and the lithology in the aeration zone. However, as the depth increases, the movement velocity will decay exponentially.