Subsidence – sinking of the ground because of underground material movement—is most often caused by the removal of water, oil, natural gas, or mineral resources out of the ground by pumping, fracking, or mining activities.

Land subsidence occurs when large amounts of groundwater have been withdrawn from certain types of rocks, such as fine-grained sediments. The rock compacts because the water is partly responsible for holding the ground up.

Groundwater-related subsidence often results in major damage to urban areas. As the groundwater is pumped out, the effective stress changes, precipitating consolidation, which is often non-reversible. Thus, the total volume of the silts and clays is reduced, resulting in the lowering of the surface.

When large volumes of water are removed from a groundwater basin, compaction of the aquifers can occur as clay layers are drained, causing land subsidence – an actual drop in the land’s elevation.

sinking of the ground
Subsidence – sinking of the ground because of underground material movement—is most often caused by the removal of water, oil, natural gas, or mineral resources out of the ground by pumping, fracking, or mining activities.

Hazards of Minerals–Rocks and Sustainable Development “Subsidence” is the movement of ground, block or slope. It is caused by readjustment of overburden due to collapse and failure of underground operating mine excavation (Fig. 10.10), unfilled and unsupported abandoned stopes and excessive water withdrawal.

Land subsidence is a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth’s surface. Subsidence – sinking of the ground because of underground material movement—is most often caused by the removal of water, oil, natural gas, or mineral resources out of the ground by pumping, fracking, or mining activities.

It occurs when groundwater is withdrawn from a basin aquifer or subsurface reservoir faster than natural or artificial recharge can replace it. In the case of shallow groundwater aquifers in the Southwest, rapid withdrawal of groundwater causes regional groundwater levels in a basin to decline.

And in places, collapsing aquifers have led to sinking ground, leaving gaping fissures in the land and cracking roads and canals. In California, water officials have recorded more than 2,800 reports of “household water supply shortages,” which generally involve dry wells, since 2013.

A related effect of groundwater pumping is the lowering of groundwater levels below the depth that streamside or wetland vegetation needs to survive. The overall effect is a loss of riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat. The basic cause of land subsidence is a loss of support below ground.

Land Subsidence. Land subsidence occurs when large amounts of groundwater have been withdrawn from certain types of rocks, such as fine-grained sediments.

The simulations can be used to estimate the magnitude, location, and timing of subsidence. They can also be used to evaluate management strategies to mitigate adverse effects from subsidence while also optimizing water availability.

Long-term extraction of groundwater has caused significant land subsidence and associated aquifer-system compaction, which has damaged colonial-era buildings, buckled highways, and disrupted water supply and waste-water drainage. Some buildings have been deemed unsafe and have been closed and many others have needed repairs to keep them intact.