Developmental Features, Influencing Factors, and Formation Mechanism of Underground Mining–Induced Ground Fissure Disasters in China: A Review

Mining–induced ground fissures are one of the major geological disasters affecting coal mines. In recent years, many effective monitoring methods have been developed to explore the developmental characteristics and nature of mining–induced ground fissures for being treated scientifically. This paper is mainly on the development law and mechanism of mining ground fissure research results which have been comprehensively combed, highlighting the development trend, including the formation condition, development features, influencing factors, and mechanical mechanism of mining–induced ground fissures. Outstanding issues are discussed and future research hot spots and trends are pointed out. The major conclusions include: (1) under the shallow coal mining condition, because the rock layer fault zone directly reaches the surface, the ground fissure usually develops seriously; (2) mining–induced ground fissures are generally divided into four types: tensile fissures, compression fissures, collapsed fissures, and sliding fissures; (3) mining–induced ground fissures are affected by the coupling effect of underground mining and surface topography. The main factors are geological mining conditions, surface deformation, and surface topography, including rock and soil structure, rock and soil mechanical properties, surface horizontal deformation, surface slope, and so on; and (4) to ensure the safety of underground mining, temporary ground fissures formed during the process of coal mining must be treated when ground fissures and rock ground fissures are connected. The results of this article make up for the deficiencies of the relevant research, provide the basis and direction for future research, and have universal applicability and scientific guiding significance.