The influence of time on subsidence in the Central Asturian Coalfield

In coalfields, subsidence frequently does not develop instantaneously but gradually and over a period of time after the opening of the cavity. In this paper, the time effect is studied in the coalfield of Asturias, Northern Spain, with the aim of predicting subsidence phenomena and characterizing the trough in the different intermediate stages of the process of excavation and subsidence. The subsidence is predicted following the models of Knothe and Sroka-Schober and a new time function based on the normal distribution function. The results obtained were compared with actual subsidence data from the mining of the Molino and Mariana seams in Boo, in the Central Asturian Coalfield. The new normal time function proposed here is found to more accurately represent the actual subsidence pattern observed.