Large differential land subsidence and earth fissures in Jiangyin,China

Jiangyin County is in the infamous Su–Xi–Chang land subsidence area caused by excessive groundwater withdrawal in Jiangsu province, China. The maximum accumulated land subsidence reached 1,310 mm near the centre of the subsiding trough in 2006 in southern Jiangyin, and earth fissures of significant vertical offsets have been observed at Changjing, Hetang and Wenlin which form an arc towards the subsidence trough. An ancient Yangtze River course is found underlying and passing through the depression in southern Jiangyin, forming a local basin surrounded by outcropped bedrock ridges in the north and south. The Quaternary stratigraphy demonstrates significant heterogeneities in the basin; the second confined aquifer is much thicker and deeper and encapsulated inside the basin and absent above the ridges. The development of earth fissures along the Changjing–Hetang–Wenlin arc might be a combination of an inward rotation of sediments due to a large differential subsidence, an inward movement driven by seepage force and a steeper slope along the south-eastern shoulder of the basin that facilitates the development of horizontal tensile strain and/or shear strain necessary for fissuring. The land subsidence has slowed down and no new earth fissure zone has occurred in the area after the banning of deep groundwater extraction was enacted in 2001.     

Earth fissures in Jiangsu Province,China and geological investigation of Hetang earth fissure

Earth fissures are a geohazard in Jiangsu Province, China. They can be caused by earthquakes and active faults, underground mining, groundwater extraction and landslides. In order to establish a provincial rehabilitation plan in Jiangsu, a range of monitoring programs, surveys, geological investigations and modeling have been implemented or planned. One of the focuses of the project is the land subsidence and earth fissures caused by excessive groundwater withdrawal in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou (Su-Xi-Chang) area, southern Jiangsu Province. Hetang earth fissure within the Su-Xi-Chang area was first reported in 1995 and a series of investigation has been conducted since then. The site investigations and geophysical survey in 1997 have recognized the causative factor as the excessive groundwater drawdown coupled by the underlying bedrock ridge. An open trench excavation in 2007 and a plane strain analysis suggest that Hetang earth fissures may have cracked from the bedrock ridge to ground surface. Geological drilling in 2007 has further confirmed the existence and configuration of the ridge and extracted soil samples for laboratory tests to obtain soil parameters for numerical analyses and modeling of land subsidence and earth fissures in the Su-Xi-Chang area, Jiangsu, China. The laboratory tests are currently in progress and the result of numerical analyses and modeling is expected to be presented in the near future.     

化隆—循化盆地不同类型含水层组高氟地下水的分布及形成过程

天然成因的高氟地下水是世界范围内备受关注的环境问题和饮用水安全问题。前人对高氟地下水的形成过程已开展了大量研究,但是对于高原盆地复杂水文地质条件下不同类型含水层组(第四系松散层含水层、基岩裂隙或岩溶含水层以及新生代古近纪以来的碎屑岩含水层)高氟地下水的分布和形成过程尚不明确。本文以化隆—循化盆地为研究区,通过采集、测试研究区内的各类地下水样品,分析研究区内不同类型含水层中地下水的化学特征及同位素特征。结果表明,高氟地下水(1.007.73 mg/L)主要分布在沿黄河的河谷区域和巴燕低山丘陵区域的泉水和潜水中以及深部的承压水中,在垂向上高氟地下水无明显分布规律。接受黄河水入渗补给的河谷潜水中氟离子浓度较低,补给黄河的河谷潜水中氟离子浓度较高。贫钙富钠的弱碱性苏打型水有利于地下水中氟的富集。泉水和潜水中氟主要来源于萤石的溶解,而承压水中氟除了来源于萤石外,还来源于其他含氟矿物。对于潜水和第四系松散层泉水,蒸发浓缩作用促进了地下水中氟的富集。另外,阴离子竞争吸附作用、阳离子交换吸附作用是泉水(第四系松散层泉水和基岩裂隙泉水)和潜水中氟元素富集的主要原因,而承压水中氟离子浓度受竞争吸附作用影响较大,阳离子交换吸附作用影响较小。研究成果可为化隆—循化盆地低氟地下水的勘查和开发提供科学依据。     

地下水位变化对透—阻型岩溶塌陷影响的分析

文章从一维地下水运动和渗透力学的角度,分析比较潜水位上升与承压水位下降对岩溶地区透—阻型盖层中阻水层渗透稳定性的影响,重点讨论了承压水位下降速度(降速)与下降深度（降深）对阻水层中渗透坡降的影响,结果表明:地下水位变化（潜水位上升或承压水位下降）产生的非稳定渗流不利于岩溶洞穴开口上方阻水层的稳定,承压水位的下降对岩溶开口附近处阻水层中渗透力的影响远大于潜水位的变化;在承压层水位最大降深确定的条件下,承压水位下降速度愈快,岩溶开口附近处阻水层中向下渗透力愈大。因此,在覆盖型岩溶地区抽取地下水时,为了减缓或避免覆盖型塌陷的发生,应同时控制好最大降深和最大开采速度。      

Formation of regolith-collapse sinkholes in southern Illinois: Interpretation and identification of associated buried cavities

Three regolith-collapse sinkholes formed near the Dongola Unit School and the Pentecostal Church in the southern Illinois village of Dongola (Union County) during the spring of 1993. The sinkholes appeared over a three-month period that coincided with development of a new municipal well. The new well was drilled through clay-rich, valley-fill sediment into karstified limestone bedrock. The piezometric surface of the limestone aquifer is above land surface, indicating the presence of an upward hydraulic gradient in the valley and that the valley fill is acting as a confining unit. Pumping during development of the well lowered the piezometric surface of the limestone aquifer to an elevation below the base of the valley fill. It is hypothesized that drainage of water from the sediments, the resulting loss of hydrostatic pressure and buoyant force in overlying sediments, increased intergranular pressure, and the initiation of groundwater flow toward the well resulted in rapid sediment transport, subsurface erosion, and collapse of the valley-fill sediment. The sinkholes follow an approximately east-west alignment, which is consistent with one of the two dominant alignments of passages of nearby joint-controlled caves. A constant electrode-separation resistivity survey of the school playground was conducted to locate areas that might contain incipient sinkholes. The survey revealed a positive resistivity anomaly trending N75E in the southern part of the study area. The anomaly is linear, between 5 and 10 m wide, and its trend either intersects or is immediately adjacent to the three sinkholes. The anomaly is interpreted to be a series of pumping-induced cavities in the valley-fill sediments that formed over a preexisting crevice in the karstified bedrock limestone.     

Environmental impact assessment using FORM and groundwater system reliability concept: case study Jining, China

In this paper, fist-order reliability method (FORM) is used to evaluate the impacts of uncertainties posed by traditional deterministic models on the environment in Jining, China. Because of groundwater contamination in shallow aquifer, and an increase in water demand, the new wells target the confined aquifer with constant pumping rate of 5,000 m³/d. Using Theis equation, the groundwater drawdown is analyzed to determine whether the confined aquifer will be contaminated. Although the piezometric level is higher than the phreatic level by 11.0 m, the risk of drawdown is still 19.49% when the pumping rate of 5,000 m³/d is maintained for 2 years. The deterministic model indicates a drawdown of 8.94 m which is lower than the maximum tolerance drawdown of 11.0 m. The sensitivity and uncertainty analysis reveal that the model result is more sensitive to transmissivity than specific yield, while the reliability analysis offers significant information for the decision makers. This approach exposes and minimizes the risk of undesirable consequences such as groundwater contamination.     

基于多因素叠加计算权重法的苏锡常地裂缝危险性预测

由于长期过量开采地下水,苏州、无锡和常州（苏锡常）的局部地区地裂缝发育,在深层地下水禁采十多年后的今天有些地裂缝还在发展。地裂缝的发育及发展受到诸多因素的影响,其具体力学机制尚不明确。为了查明影响地裂缝发育的因素、确定各因素对地裂缝的影响程度,本文在苏锡常地裂缝发育现状的基础上,利用基于确定性系数计算权重法对苏锡常地裂缝发育危险性进行预测分区。模型考虑了基岩埋深、基岩坡度、累计地面沉降量、沉降坡度、第二含水层厚度、第二含水层厚度变化梯度、第二含水层水位降深、第四纪沉积相等8个主要影响因素,分析结果显示苏锡常地区北部地裂缝易发,东南部发生地裂缝的危险性较小。计算结果与苏锡常地裂缝的分布及发育情况基本一致,验证了该方法在地裂缝预测方面的有效性。本研究对苏锡常地区地下水开采及城市建设规划具有一定的指导意义。     

Land subsidence and earth fissures due to groundwater withdrawal in the Southern Yangtse Delta,China

Excessive extraction of groundwater has caused severe land subsidence and earth fissures in the Southern Yangtse Delta, China. Based on field data, the temporal and spatial distribution of land subsidence is investigated and the causes for earth fissures are analyzed. The areal distribution of the land subsidence is closely related to the cones of depression in the main exploited aquifers. The compaction of a hydrostratigraphic unit depends on its mechanical behavior, thickness, compressibility, and the piezometric level changing. The primary subsidence layers in Shanghai have been the first aquitard before 1990 and the third confined aquifer since then. But the second aquitard unit was the primary subsidence layer in Changzhou. Earth fissures, trending in several directions, occurred in the Husu tectonic zone. They were mainly caused by differential subsidence and horizontal displacement that resulted from tensile stress and shear stress in units. The majority of fissures in the study area are tensile.     

Pumping-induced stress and strain in aquifer systems in Wuxi,China

Excessive groundwater withdrawal from an aquifer system leads to three-dimensional displacement, causing changes in the states of stress and strain. Often, land subsidence and sometimes earth fissures ensue. Field investigation indicates that land subsidence and earth fissures in Wuxi, a city in eastern China, are mainly due to excessive groundwater withdrawal, and that they are temporally and spatially related to groundwater pumping. Groundwater withdrawal may cause tensile strain to develop in aquifer systems, but tensile strain does not definitely mean tensile stress. Where earth fissures are concerned, the stress state should be adopted in numerical simulations instead of the strain state and displacement. The numerical simulation undertaken for the Wuxi area shows that the zone of tensile strain occupies a large area on the ground surface; nevertheless, the zone of tensile stress is very limited. The zone of tensile stress often occurs near the ground surface, beneath which the depth to the bedrock surface is relatively small and has considerable variability. Earth fissures often initiate near the ground surface where tensile stress occurs. Tensile stress and earth fissures rarely develop at the centers of land subsidence bowls, where compressive stress is dominant.     

基于ANN的苏锡常地裂缝预测研究

伴随着地面沉降灾害的发生,地裂缝作为一种新的地质灾害出现在苏锡常平原上,已有十多年历史,给地区发展造成严重危害。作者在较详细地阐述区域地质背景基础上,着重分析了地下水位和地面沉降在地裂缝形成中的作用。确定了“起伏的基底外加地下水位和地面沉降作用”这一地裂缝成灾模式。研究认为地裂缝的发生与地下水及地面沉降之间不存在简单的线性关系。而是二者共同作用的结果,同时需要有量的配合。初步确定了水位埋深50m,地面沉降量达500mm这样一个苏锡常地区地裂缝的易发环境。通过文章的研究,使得苏锡常地区地裂缝的产生机制更加清晰。文中一些定性和半定量的分析结论将对该地区地裂缝防治区划产生指导作用。     

西气东输管道工程中卫黄河穿越隧道场地工程地质条件评价

西气东输工程中卫黄河穿越隧道长1197.77m,高4.3m,宽5.6m。隧道入口高于黄河水位28m,出口高于黄河水位45m。隧道顶板高程为1130m。位于黄河水下100m。隧道场地围岩为寒武系磨盘井组灰绿色、银灰色浅变质中厚层细粒长石石英砂岩、千枚状板岩、绢云母化千枚岩。围岩为弱风化Ⅲ～Ⅳ类岩石。透水率为4～67Lu,纵波波速为500～3300m.s-1。BQ为300～400。变形模量为6.11～9.22GPa。泊松比（）0.14～0.24。内摩擦角（）为42.1～44.7。地下水为基岩裂隙水。含水层为寒武系浅变质岩,受大气降水渗入补给,单井涌水量为1.0～50m3.d-1。隧道轴线穿越区岩体较完整较破碎,未有全新活动断层。隧道位置选择和开挖深度设计是可行的。施工和长期运营是安全的。     

江苏沿淮地区淮河水与地下水补排关系研究

从淮河江苏段与地下水含水层关系出发,认为淮河河床切割了地下水承压含水层。地下水的水动力特征表明地下水接受了淮河水的补给。从水质研究的角度印证了地表水与地下水的补排关系。将淮河水与潜水、微承压、承压水之间进行聚类分析,印证了微承压、承压水与淮河水同源。     

中国“采水型”地裂缝特征和成因分析

过量开采地下水诱发的地裂缝("采水型"地裂缝)灾害对社会造成严重损失,受到人们普遍关注。近几十年来,国内外学者对其成因机制进行了大量研究,取得了丰硕成果。本文系统分析了前人的研究成果,归纳出"采水型"地裂缝的差异沉降成因、拉张性水平应变成因和四种成因模式;然后针对中国三个典型的"采水型"地裂缝发育区,即汾渭盆地、华北平原、苏锡常地区,阐述了各地地裂缝分布、发育特征和成因机理,并选择典型地段地裂缝进行成因分析,认为汾渭盆地和华北平原地区部分地裂缝属于"先期断层模式",而苏锡常地区地裂缝总体属于"基岩起伏模式",并阐述了该模式下导致地裂缝发育的差异性变形、水平应变作用机理。     

苏锡常地区地裂缝灾害危险性评价与预测

苏锡常地区是我国近年来地裂缝灾害最为活跃的地区之一。作者在深入研究其灾害成因机理和形成过程的基础上 ,提取了基岩面起伏、浅部含水砂层差异、隐伏灰岩、浅部土层结构条件、累计地面沉降量、地面沉降速率和主采层水位共 7个主要影响因素 ,选用层次分析法确定权值 ,建立了苏锡常地裂缝危险性评价模型。以GIS软件Arcinfo为主要工具 ,利用其强大的空间分析功能 ,将各影响因素专题图层按照权重进行多重叠加操作 ,进行了不同时期地裂缝灾害危险性分区评价和发展趋势的预测。目前研究区地裂缝灾害危险性仍在增加 ,常州马杭镇与湖塘镇中间、武进横林镇铁路以北和无锡堰桥镇西北地区危险指数最大 ,是今后几年苏锡常地区防治地裂缝灾害的重点区域。     

Sinkholes related to discontinuous pumping: susceptibility mapping based on geophysical studies. The case of Crestatx (Majorca, Spain)

The Crestatx aquifer is the main source of water supply to the Bay of Alcudia, one of the largest resorts on the island of Majorca (Spain). This water has been used since the 1970s using several pumping wells, which draw an annual volume of 1.5 hm³. The seasonal exploitation of this karstic aquifer causes a substantial cone of depression with great variations in the piezometric level (up to 120 m) and dynamic water levels of down to 87 m below sea level. At the end of the 1990s, several sinkholes and subsidence depressions started being detected in a highly karstified area. Twenty subsidence and sinkhole morphologies have been inventoried in an area measuring 70,000 m², with diameters up to 23 m and depth more than 15 m. The intense and continuous rainfall during recent years (2008–2010) has considerably accelerated the process, increasing the dimensions of existing sinkholes and the appearance of new morphologies. By means of electrical tomography techniques, a ground study was carried out. Numerous cavities have been identified in the upper 30 m. Using a map of the surface morphologies and the geophysical profiles, we can determine that the propagation and orientation of the sinkholes lie along three main directions: N30°E, N130°E and N60°E. The first is the most relevant, which is parallel to the main tectonic structures in the area. The interpretation of the electrical profiles has enabled us to identify the potentially most unstable areas, which is an effective tool to assess risk in the area, as there are roads and a housing development nearby. The high, but discontinuous, exploitation of the aquifer is considered the main trigger for these sinkholes and subsidence depressions, as it causes large variations of pressure and accelerates the dissolution process in the underlying rock.     

岩溶矿床疏干区地下水位恢复对岩溶塌陷作用机制的研究——以湖南宁乡大成桥为例

截止2016年底,大成桥疏干区在地下水位恢复过程中共发生了17起岩溶塌陷,文章结合地下水动态监测、水文地质钻探成果以及现场调查资料等,研究地下水恢复特征及其对岩溶塌陷的作用机制,为研究区塌陷的预警防治提供科学依据。结果表明:研究区岩溶塌陷集中在河流两岸阶地和麻枣冲沟中;岩溶塌陷发生顺序为先补给区后径流区,与地下水恢复动态过程密切相关;区内地下水恢复过程可分为4个阶段,不同阶段岩溶塌陷机理可分为渗流潜蚀-气爆效应,负压吸蚀效应,软化增荷-挤压-吸蚀效应和软化-崩解效应等4种力学效应组合,不同力学效应作用下的致塌模式有所不同。其中地下水位在基岩面附近4~5 m范围波动更容易引发岩溶塌陷。目前补给区地下水位标高63.95~71.8 m,高于基岩面5~6 m;径流区为42.8~57.7 m,位于基岩面以下4~17 m,因此须密切观测研究区地下水位变化。      

四川盆地红层浅层风化带裂隙水及其合理开发利用

四川盆地红层地下水为基岩浅层裂隙水,赋存于红层丘陵区的宽谷风化带中。宽谷为红层地下水的含水单元。红层地下水富集部位在宽谷的排泄区,其地貌标志是宽谷下游较窄峡口的上部,该处有不同程度的沼泽化、盐渍化。红层风化带含水介质的形成经历了中、新生代水盆的沉积作用、成岩作用和表生地质作用等漫长复杂的物理化学过程。红层干旱地区的地下水开发应采用抽水和屯水相结合的方案。     

Impacts of at-site wastewater disposal systems on the groundwater aquifer in arid regions: case of Sfax City, Southern Tunisia

Groundwater in Sfax City (Tunisia) has been known since the beginning of the century for its deterioration in quality, as a result of wastewater recharge into the aquifer. An average value of 12 × 10⁶ m³ of untreated wastewater reaches the groundwater aquifer each year. This would result not only in a chemical and biological contamination of the groundwater, but also in an increase of the aquifer piezometric level. Quantitative impacts were evaluated by examining the groundwater piezometric level at 57 surface wells and piezometers. The survey showed that, during the last two decades, the groundwater level was ever increasing in the urban area with values reaching 7 m in part; and decreasing in Sidi Abid (agricultural area) with values exceeding −3 m. Groundwater samples for chemical and microbial analysis were collected from 41 wells spread throughout the study area. Results showed significantly elevated levels of sodium, chlorides, nitrates and coliform bacteria all over the urban area. High levels (NO₃: 56–254 mg/l; Na >1,500 mg/l; Coliforms >30/100 ml) can be related to more densely populated areas with a higher density of pit latrine and recharge wells. Alternatively results showed a very variable chemical composition of groundwater, e.g. electrical conductivity ranges from 4,040 to19,620 μs/cm and the dry residual varies between 1.4 and 14 g/l with concentrations increasing downstream. Furthermore a softening of groundwater in Set Ezzit (highly populated sector) was observed.     

Groundwater fluxes into a submerged sinkhole area,Central Italy,using radon and water chemistry

The groundwater contribution into Green Lake and Black Lake (Vescovo Lakes Group), two cover collapse sinkholes in Pontina Plain (Central Italy), was estimated using water chemistry and a ²²²Rn budget. These data can constrain the interactions between sinkholes and deep seated fluid circulation, with a special focus on the possibility of the bedrock karst aquifer feeding the lake. The Rn budget accounted for all quantifiable surface and subsurface input and output fluxes including the flux across the sediment–water interface. The total value of groundwater discharge into Green Lake and Black Lake (∼540 ± 160 L s⁻¹) obtained from the Rn budget is lower than, but comparable with historical data on the springs group discharge estimated in the same period of the year (800 ± 90 L s⁻¹). Besides being an indirect test for the reliability of the Rn-budget “tool”, it confirms that both Green and Black Lake are effectively springs and not simply “water filled” sinkholes. New data on the water chemistry and the groundwater fluxes into the sinkhole area of Vescovo Lakes allows the assessment of the mechanism responsible for sinkhole formation in Pontina Plain and suggests the necessity of monitoring the changes of physical and chemical parameters of groundwater below the plain in order to mitigate the associated risk.     

Hydrogeological investigation of groundwater artificial recharge by treated wastewater in semi-arid regions: Korba aquifer (Cap-Bon Tunisia)

Korba aquifer is one of the most typical examples of overexploited coastal aquifer in the Mediterranean countries. In fact, from 1985, a considerable piezometric level drop, water salinization, and seawater intrusion were registered in the aquifer. In December 2008, Tunisian authorities initiated a general plan to groundwater management in order to augment groundwater resources, restore the piezometric levels, and improve water quality. The plan consists of artificial recharge of groundwater used treated wastewater through three infiltration basins. During the first 4 years (from December 2008 to December 2012), 1.41 Mm³ of treated wastewater was injected to the Korba aquifer. This study presents a hydrogeological assessment of groundwater evolution during the recharge processes. In this study, 32 piezometric and chemical surveys of 70 piezometers and observed wells are used to present hydrogeological investigation and water quality evolution of wastewater reuse through artificial recharge in Korba coastal aquifer. The piezometric evolution maps are used to specify the positive effect in groundwater level that exceeding 1.5 m in some regions. The interpretation of salinity evolution maps are used to indicate the improving of groundwater quality.