Risk Assessment of Water Inrush from Aquifers Underlying the Gushuyuan Coal Mine, China

Abstract

Mining of the No. 15 seam in the Gushuyuan coal mine is threatened by water inrush from the underlying Ordovician limestone aquifer. Water pressure and yield of the aquifer, the equivalent thickness of the water-resisting layer(s), and the properties of geologic structures are the major factors that control water inrush. The water inrush risk was evaluated using the vulnerability index (VI) method, which couples GIS with the analytic hierarchy process. Comparing the results with that of the traditional water inrush coefficient method in a specific mining area clearly showed the advantage of the VI method, especially in mines underlain by a thin water-resisting layer.