Abstract
Changes in air pressure and groundwater level in a karst cave can direct impact on the stability of the surface cover above the cave. The karst collapse often occurs suddenly, leading to extensive damage and loss of life, especially in urban areas. The causes of cavity collapses normally include changes in the underlying limestone geology, or because of human activities, such as mining or sewer leaks. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted and a physical model was developed to understand the effects of groundwater level fluctuation on deformations in the ground covering a karst cave. The study explored the changes in pressure in air-filled cavities as the cave’s groundwater level rose or declined and the resulting variations in the stability of the surface cover. The study showed that the internal air pressure is vacuum state and the vacuum degree increases as the water level decreases. The vacuum value regularly rises as the water level decreases at a slow rate; the pressure fluctuates more when the water level drops more rapidly. Internal air pressure fluctuations disturb the surface cover structure, rapidly reducing cover stability. The degree of cover deformation is proportional to the rate of the decrease in water level. The deformation increases rapidly after a specific rate of decrease in the water level. The study also found that the internal air pressure in the cavity was positive when the water level increased. A faster increase in the water level could create or be caused the instability of the surface cover. Finally, there is a maximum internal air pressure level that, when associated with specific water level changes, triggers a rapid displacement of the cover. When these factors combine, the structure of surface cover is disturbed, and collapse occurs. These results can be used to predict karst collapse.
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(Reproduced with permission from Augarde et al. 2003)
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Acknowledgements
This work was initiated with support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China NSFC Grant (No. 41502244) and was continued with support from Fundamental Research Fund of SKLGP (No. SKLGP2014Z014). These financial supporters are gratefully acknowledged. The authors also extend their gratitude to Professor G. Lu.
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This article is a part of the Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on Karst Hydrogeology: Advances in Karst Collapse Studies, edited by Dr. Zhou Wanfang.
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Xiao, X., Xu, M., Ding, Q. et al. Experimental study investigating deformation behavior in land overlying a karst cave caused by groundwater level changes. Environ Earth Sci 77, 64 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-7102-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-7102-y