The Influence of the Morphological Characteristics of Mining-Induced Ground Fissures on the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Soil Moisture

Abstract

In order to study the influence of fissure morphology on soil moisture-content changes under different fissure types, this study established HYDRUS 2.0 numerical models of stepped fissures and planar fissures with different fissure widths and depths based on the experimental condition parameters obtained from physical simulation tests. Then, we simulated the spatial and temporal variation rules of soil moisture around the fissures. The results showed a high level of agreement between the HYDRUS numerical simulations and actual measurements, indicating that the model accurately reflects the movement of soil moisture near fissures. The study found that ground fissures affected the spatial distribution of soil moisture, leading to an increased rate of moisture loss in the deep soil near the fissure walls. Moreover, larger fissures had greater horizontal and vertical effects on soil moisture. The soil moisture content is lower closer to the fissure walls. As the soil depth increased, the influence of the fissures gradually diminished. For planar fissure with a depth of 50 cm, the soil moisture content was 30.6%, 17.8%, and 8.4% lower at depths of 10, 30, and 50 cm, respectively, compared to a fissure with a depth of 10 cm. For a stepped fissure with a depth of 50 cm, the soil moisture content was 29.2%, 20.9%, and 13.9% lower at depths of 10, 30, and 50 cm, respectively, compared to a fissure with a depth of 10 cm. Under the same conditions of fissure width and depth, stepped fissures exhibit faster moisture loss, and the larger the fissure, the more significant the additional moisture loss compared to planar fissures.