A new software to model earth fissure caused by extensive aquifer exploitation and its applicationto
the Guangming Village case, China
Y. Li, S. Ye
School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
M. Frigo, M. Ferronato, C. Janna, P. Teatini
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering,
University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Y. Zhang, X. Gong, J. Yu
Key Laboratory of Earth Fissures Geological Disaster, Ministry of Land and Resources,
Geological Survey of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, China
L. Zhu
College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
Earth fissures accompanying anthropogenic land subsidence due to excessive aquifer exploitation
create significant geohazards in China. Numerical models represent a unique scientific approach
to predict the generation and development of earth fissures. However, the common geomechanical
simulators fail to reproduce fissure development because they cannot be effectively applied in
discontinuous mechanics. An innovative modelling approach developed recently is applied to develop
a software to simulate fissure development. The pressure changes are used as forcing factors
in a 3D geomechanical model, which combines Finite Elements and Interface Elements to simulate
the deformation of the continuous aquifer system and the generation and sliding/opening of earth
fissures. The approach has been applied to simulate the earth fissures at Guangming Village in Wuxi,
China with land subsidence of more than 1 m caused by the overexploitation of the second confined
aquifer. The modelling results highlight that the earth fissures at Guangming Village have been
caused by tension and shear stresses. Based on the developed modelling approach and the application
case study, a software platform is developed to provide a fast preliminary evaluation of the risk
of fissure occurrence associated to land subsidence. The software allows for the simulation of
a simplified 2D conceptual geologic model of earth fissures, which can be used to investigate how
the main factors controlling the geomechanical response of the aquifer system, such as pressure
changes, geometry of aquifer system, geomechanical properties, and depth of bedrock/fault etc.
