Investigation about the contribution of tectonic conditions to mining subsidence parameters

Underground infrastructure of any kind can affect the surface by inducing ground movements. The ability of precise subsidence prediction is crucial for environmental management. Prediction methods in practice are mainly based on influence functions that are symmetrical and provide comparably smooth profiles. In the past, deviations from the predictions have been detected. The ability of modern geomonitoring data makes the deviation even more obvious today. One of the reasons for the deviations are the regional tectonic stress conditions. To justify further investigation into the impact of tectonic conditions on the subsidence parameters, numerical experiments were conducted based on a hypothetical case of a homogenous sedimentary rock under different stress conditions. As a result, deviation of up to 7% of the subsidence profile parameters was detected. The results can be considered significant and encourage researchers to investigate the topic further to extend the currently used prediction methods to take into count the tectonic conditions. The research is based on numerical simulation and provides only theoretical result, implementation and validation of the theory in the field are left for further investigation.