Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Water-Eroded Ground Fissures in the Weihe Basin of China

Abstract

The Weihe Basin is a crucial part of the Fenwei Graben System and is a typical example of an extensional fault basin. Over time, the region has been developed around 212 ground fissures, with the majority of them being associated with heavy rainfall. These water-eroded ground fissures have caused serious damage to farmland, houses, and roads, with the Liangjiacun ground fissures, Meiyuancun ground fissures, and Dizhentai ground fissures being the most known. To understand the developmental characteristics and formation mechanisms of water-eroded ground fissures in the Weihe Basin, we utilized a variety of methods, including ground surveys, mapping, trenching, drilling, and geophysical exploration. These three ground fissures are distributed along corresponding fault zones, with their orientations being closely linked to local topographic changes. Additionally, the trenching profiles showed that all three typical ground fissure zones have distinct hidden holes above the paleosol. The formation of these ground fissures is closely associated with tectonic activity and heavy rainfall, with soil ruptures resulting from tectonic activity becoming the dominant channels for surface water infiltration. Furthermore, the erosion caused by heavy rainfall accelerates the rupture and expansion of ground fissures in the shallow subsurface. This paper is a valuable resource for disaster prevention and mitigation strategies aimed at mitigating the damage caused by ground fissures in the Weihe Basin.