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Effects of declining water levels on water-air interactions in cover collapse sinkhole

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Abstract

Water-air interactions caused by water level changes over a karst cavity can lead to sinkhole collapse. Declining water levels in a two-layered cover (clayey upper layer and sandy lower layer) above a karst cavity will lead to changes in the air pressure inside both the cover layers and the cavity. The change in air pressure can cause changes in the rate of water level decline and induce subsidence and collapse. In this study, a mathematical formula was derived and used to better understand the water-air interaction mechanism. Air velocity, vacuum variation in the cover, cumulative air intake, and elapsed time in the water level decline process are considered. A physical model was used to conduct laboratory simulations of the water-air interaction process and to determine the relationship between collapse and the water-air interaction. The main findings of this work are as follows: (1) Water level declines cause changes in air pressure both inside the cover and the cavity, and, conversely, the velocity of the water level decline was influenced by the variable air pressure; water-air interaction is obviously occurring. (2) With a low permeability cover layer, the declining water level mainly generates vacuum suction, but also erosion of the underlying high permeability sandy layer; vacuum suction and erosion can lead to subsidence or collapse of the cover. (3) Physical model simulations are useful for representing the phenomena of water-air interactions in karst cavities, and provide a practical way to understand the mechanism of collapse in karst terrain.

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Acknowledgments

This work was initiated with support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China NSFC Grant (No. 41502244) and was continued with support from the Fundamental Research Fund of SKLGP (No. SKLGP2018Z023). These financial supporters are gratefully acknowledged. We thank Paul Seward, PhD, for improving the English text of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, Sichuan, China

    Xianxuan Xiao, Zhaofeng Li, Guojun Cai & He Yang

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  1. Xianxuan Xiao
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  2. Zhaofeng Li
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  3. Guojun Cai
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  4. He Yang
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Correspondence to Xianxuan Xiao.

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Xiao, X., Li, Z., Cai, G. et al. Effects of declining water levels on water-air interactions in cover collapse sinkhole. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 2545–2556 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02089-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02089-y

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