Anthropogenic land subsidence
G. Gambolati, P. Teatini, M. Ferronato
Dept. Mathematical Methods and Models for Scientific
Applications, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
ABSTRACT
Fluid removal from subsurface reservoirs, in the form of gas, oil,
groundwater, geothermal water, and brine, produces a compaction of the
depleted formations which migrates totally or partially to the
ground surface thus inducing anthropogenic land subsidence. The paper
presents: 1) a list of the major subsiding areas worldwide, 2) a
review of the mechanism which causes a measurable settlement above
aquifer systems and gas/oil fields, 3) a description of the currently
available techniques to measure land subsidence and in situ rock
compaction, 4) a brief description of some mathematical models to
predict the magnitude of subsidence, and 5) a description of a few
remedial options that are available to control the events and mitigate
the related environmental impact.
