Proceedings of the 19th IAHR-APD Congress 2014, Hanoi, Vietnam

ISBN 978604821338-1

Ground subsidence due to fluid extraction:

A collateral
effect of climate change

A.P.S. SELVADURAI
McGill University, Montral, Canada,
e-mail: patrick.selvadurai@mcgill.ca

ABSTRACT
The problem of ground subsidence due to fluid withdrawal becomes a topic of major importance when arid conditions
resulting from extreme climate change events necessitates accessing the ground water regime to provide water for
human consumption, agricultural and other industrial activities. A collateral effect of groundwater extraction is ground
subsidence. The subsidence can be induced by alterations in the pore fluid pressures in an aquifer without the need for
alterations to ground water levels. This paper examines the ground subsidence created by the uniform extraction of
fluids from a flat disc-shaped extraction region located within fluid-saturated poroelastic domain, which results in the
reduction in the pore water pressure within the flat disc-shaped region. In particular, attention is focused on the
influence of the fluid extraction on a surficial layer that is elastic and can be modelled as a thick plate-type stratum. The
influence of the fluid extraction over a flat circular region is modelled as a distribution of centers of dilatation. It is
shown that the elastostatic model can be used to provide convenient estimates for the influences of the fluid extraction
process on subsidence.

Keywords: Ground Subsidence; Surficial Strata; Poromechanics; Fluid Extraction; Mathematical Modelling; Plate Theories

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 Proceedings of the 19th IAHR-APD Congress 2014, Hanoi, Vietnam

ISBN 978604821338-1

aquifer and the elastic halfspace

1. INTRODUC reviews by Poland and
surficial layer. The region
TION Davis (1969), Saxena
extraction of fluids will (designations; elastic
(1978), Premchitt
Ground subsidence result in fluid loss from constants Gs and s)
(1979), Galloway and
due to fluid extraction the pore space of the and the modelling is
Burbey (2011),
from aquifers is a aquifer but it is restricted to
Selvadurai (2009, 2012)
problem of major assumed that the fluid axisymmetric
Zeitoun and Wakshal
interest to domain is kept conditions, although
(2013) and Selvadurai
environmental replenished by far field more general states of
and Kim (2014) for
geosciences and influx to prevent a deformation can also
further references on
environmental drawdown of the be examined. Since
the topic.
geotechnique. The water level in the the surface of the
problem of ground aquifer. surficial geological
subsidence is also a layer is not subjected
For the purposes of the
collateral effect to external loads, its
modelling we assume
associated with climate deflection w( r ) is
that the extraction-
change, where governed by the plate
replenishment can be
extraction of bending equation for
2. MODELLIN maintained such that
groundwater takes a thick plate given by
G OF the mechanics of the
place without due (Selvadurai, 1979;
GEOMECH interaction between the
considerations of ANICAL 2014a)
elastic aquifer and the
aquifer recharge. The INTERACTI overlying stratum can
literature on ground ON be examined as a
subsidence covers a
We consider the steady state elastic
diversity of topics %2
%2 w( r ) + [1 - h 2T
%2 ] q( r ) = 0
geological situation interaction problem D
ranging from sink hole
where the water (Figure 1). [1]
development due to
erosion by bearing stratum is
subterranean flows to overlain by a thick where
subsidence induced by geological layer of
finite thickness. The 2
extraction of energy %2 = d + 1 d

and mineral resources fluid pressures in the dr 2 r dr
by mining activities. water bearing stratum
The general are assumed to be
perceptions of the hydrostatic and the
causes of ground porous skeleton is
subsidence are usually assumed to behave as
associated with an elastic solid with
observable lowering of elastic modulus Gs and
Poissons ratio s. The Figure 1. The geometry of
ground water levels. the fluid extraction from
The present paper, overlying elastic
an aquifer overlain by a
however, relates to the stratum is modelled as geological stratum.
subsidence that can be a thick plate with
caused by the overall flexible The justification for
depletion of fluid behaviour modelling the
pressures in localized characterized by a surficial geological
regions due to thick plate model that stratum (subscript
groundwater is applicable to the 0) as a thick elastic
extraction, which in Reissner-Mindlin thick plate (elastic
turn transfers the plate theory (Reissner
constants G0 and 0)
reduction in the pore 1944, 1947; Mindlin
is governed largely
fluid pressures to the 1951; Selvadurai, 1979,
by its thickness h in
porous skeleton of the 1984, 2014a, b;
relation to the radius
geomaterial. This leads Rajapakse and a of the region over
to additional Selvadurai, 1986). The
which the fluid
deformation of the extraction of fluids is
pressure is reduced.
porous soil skeleton assumed to take place
The surficial
that translates to over a circular disc
geological stratum
ground subsidence. shaped region of
rests in contact with
The literature in this radius a and
the aquifer, which is
area is extensive and thickness t located at a
modelled as a fluid
the reader is referred to depth l from the
saturated isotropic
interface between the

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[2]

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 underlying aquifer transform of the
is the axisymmetric region. To provide an function F ( r ) by
form of Laplaces approximate solution ur( s ) ( r,0) = ur( s ) p0 ( r ,0) = 0 F (x ) , where
operator in two- for the interaction
dimensions, between the surficial
D ( = G0h 3 / 6(1 - 0 )) is geological layer and
[4]
the flexural rigidity
of the plate,
the aquifer,
introduce
we
perfect
F (x ) =
r F (r) J (x r ) dr
0
0
where ur ( r , z ) and
inextensible bonding
T ( = (2 - 0 ) /10(1 - 0 )) uz ( r, z ) are,
between the two
accounts for the shear regions. This respectively, the
deformations and assumption imposes radial and axial
q( r ) is the contact a non-slip, no radial components of the
stress at the interface deformation displacement vector
between the surface condition between referred to the
rock layer and the the geological cylindrical polar
aquifer. The stratum and the coordinate system
interaction between aquifer region and ( r ,q , z ) ; ur( s ) p0 ( r,0)
the surface rock layer there is continuity of
and the aquifer is normal tractions and and uz( s ) p0 ( r,0) are
induced by the normal the displacements at
reduction in pore displacements at the the surface of the
fluid pressure (of interface between the aquifer region in
magnitude p0 ) in a surface rock and the contact with the
disc-shaped region of underlying halfspace surficial geological
radius a and during the stratum due to the
thickness t located at subsidence activity. action of the pressure
a distance l from the The interface reduction, and
interface (Figure 1). conditions between ur( s ) ( r,0) and
The fluid extraction the geological
can be visualized as a medium and the ur( s ) ( r,0) are the
reduction in the aquifer can be radial and axial
hydrostatic stresses modelled by other displacements at the [5]
that may be present conditions including surface of the aquifer
in the aquifer. The Coulomb friction but due to interaction and J 0 (x r ) is the
elastic effects of the the inextensibility with the surficial zeroth-order Bessel
pressure reduction constraint is geological stratum. function of the first
over a disc-shaped considered sufficient kind. The inverse of
region of radius a for the purpose of 3.ANALYSIS OF [5] follows from self-
and thickness t illustrating the INTERACTION reciprocity properties
located within a modelling approach. BETWEEN THE of Hankel
halfspace region free Also, the assumption SURFACE transforms.
of surface tractions of complete Considering the
were presented by continuity of GEOLOGICAL surface deflection of
several authors and displacements the aquifer region
STRATUM AND
references to these between the under the action of
THE ELASTIC
are given by geological stratum the contact stress
AQUIFER
Selvadurai (2009, and the aquifer is q( r ) and subject to
2012, 2014a,b). These plausible only when The mathematical
the inextensibility
results are, however, contact stresses at the analysis of the
constraint [4] it can
inapplicable to the interface due to axisymmetric
be shown (Sneddon,
situation being gravity effects are elastostatic
1951; Selvadurai,
modelled here since sufficient to prevent interaction between
1979, 2000) that the
the surface rock layer loss of contact. For the surface rock layer
zeroth-order Hankel
exerts an interactive non-separation contact and the aquifer
transform of the axial
constraint due to its between the induced by fluid
surface displacement
stiffness and the geological stratum pressure reduction
is given by
integrity of contact and the aquifer can be examined
between the surficial region, the relevant most conveniently
(3 - 4 s ) q (x )
geological layer and interface conditions using a procedure u zq (x ,0) =
are based on Hankel 4(1 - s )Gs x
the aquifer region.
Finally, the surface integral transforms
rock layer is assumed (Sneddon, 1951;
to be in bonded w( r ) = u z( s ) ( r,0) + u z( s ) p0 ( r,0) Selvadurai, 2000).
contact with the We define the zeroth-
[3]
order Hankel

25
 solid grain material itself.
Applying Hankel
transform of the zeroth-
order to [1], we have

Dx 4 w(x ) + [1 + T x 2 ] q (x ) = 0
[6]

Considering the surface

displacement of the
aquifer region under
the action of the contact
stresses q( r ) and the
pressure depletion p0
over a circular domain
of radius a and
thickness t located at a
depth l from the base
of the geological
stratum (Figure 1), it
can be shown that

(3 - 4 s ) 2 p ata (1 - 2 s )e -x l J1(x a )
w(x ) = q (x ) + 0 s

4(1 - s )Gsx (3 - 4 s )
[7]

where J1 (x a ) is the
first-order Bessel function
of the first kind. In [7],
as is the Biot coefficient
for the storage region
defined by
[9]
K
as = 1 -
Kg From [7] and [8] we can
eliminate q (x ) and
inverting the resulting
expression for w(x ) we
obtain

2 p0ata s (1 - 2 s ) [1 + T x 2 ] e -x l J 1 (x a ) J 0 (x r ) d x
w( r ) =
D (3 - 4 s ) x + 4(1 - )G [1 + Tx ]
0 3 s s 2
(3 - 4 s ) D

[10]

The result [10] can also

be written in the form

p0Wat e -( ll / h )
w( r ) =
hGs 0
J1 ( l a / h ) J 0 ( l r / h ) d l
Fl 3

1+
2
(1 + T l )
[11]

[8]

where K is the bulk

modulus for the grain
fabric (i.e. the drained
state of the porous
medium) and K g is the
bulk modulus for the

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where zone to the thickness of
the geological stratum
a (1 - 2 s ) (3 - 4 s()l / a ) =G
0.5,2.0, 5.0 and
W= s ; F=
0

2(1 - s ) 24(1 - vs )(1the
- 0 shear
) Gs deformation
influences are
characterized by the
[12]
parameter T = 0, 0.25 .
In the special case when The value of T = 0
T = 0 , the flexural corresponds to a
behaviour of the surficial surficial geological
geological stratum is stratum that exhibits a
described by the flexural response
Germain-Poisson- governed by the
Kirchhoff thin plate Germain-Poisson-
theory and [11] reduces to Kirchhoff thin plate
the result given by theory and T = 0.25
Selvadurai (2009). corresponds to the
Reissner-Mindlin thick
plate theory with
4. NUMERICAL 0 = 1/ 3 . The
RESULTS
parameter F , which is
The expression [1] is a indicative of the
convenient expression elasticity mismatch
that can be numerically between the geological
evaluated for specific stratum and the aquifer,
situations involving is assigned a value 2.0.
groundwater extraction Figure 2 illustrates the
from an aquifer. The deflected shape of the
integral, however, geological stratum, the
cannot be expressed in flexural behaviour of
terms of special which is characterized
functions that are by the Germain-
commonly used to Poisson-Kirchhoff thin
reduce integrals plate theory. Figure 3
involving products of illustrates analogous
Bessel functions (Eason results for the case
et al., 1955; Selvadurai where the geological
and Rajapakse, 1985; stratum exhibits a
Selvadurai and Singh, flexural response
1985; Selvadurai and characterized by the
Selvadurai, 2010). The Reissner-Mindlin thick
numerical evaluation of plate theory. These
the integral can be results demonstrate the
performed using influence of both the
quadrature techniques flexural response of the
available in symbolic geological stratum and
mathematical the depth of location of
manipulation software the fluid extraction zone
such as on settlements
MATHEMATICA experienced by the
and the integrals can be surficial geological
evaluated to any layer.
required accuracy. The
mechanical and
geometric parameters
encountered in the
problem are extensive
and no attempt is made
to present results
applicable to a range of
situations relevant to
groundwater extraction.
For purposes of
illustration, we consider
the situation where the Figure 2. Elastic
radius of the fluid settlement of a
extraction zone to the surficial geological
thickness of the
layer due to fluid
geological stratum
( a / h ) = 5 ; the ratio of extraction from an
underlying elastic
the depth of embedment
of the fluid extraction aquifer - Results for

51
the Germain-Poisson- poroelastic effects, plates. J. Appl. Selvadurai APS.
Kirchhoff thin plate which can be Mech., Trans (2000). Partial
model. important for ASME, 18, 31-38. Differential
estimating the time- Poland JF. and Davis Equations in
dependent influences GH. (1969). Land Mechanics. Vol. 2;
of both unsteady subsidence due to The Biharmonic
extraction and time- withdrawal of Equation,
dependent flow of fluids. Reviews of Poissons
fluids in the aquifer. In Engineering Equation.
particular the influence Geology, 2, 187- Springer-Verlag,
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5. CONCLUDING modelling plate- (2012). A
REMARKS Acknowledgements geophysical
elastic medium
interaction: A application of an
The paper illustrates a The work described in
comparative elastostatic
technique for this paper was
study. Int. J. contact problem.
estimating the ground supported by a Natural
Num. Meth. Math. Mech.
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Engng., 23, 1229- Solids, DOI:
occur due to pore fluid Engineering Research
1244. 10.1177/1081286
pressure reductions Council Discovery
Reissner E. (1944). 512462304.
resulting from Grant awarded to the
On the theory of Selvadurai APS.
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plates. J. Math. Mechanics of
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