ABSTRACT
Subsidence persists as a problem for coal mine operators in the US, compelling the creation of programs to repair or prevent damages to farmland and surface structures. Several intensity fields were then hypothesized and used with two influence functions to predict measured subsidence from southern Illinois. Two important consequences of this procedure were noted. First, there was little difference in the predictions using equation 2 or equation 3 with n=1. However, there was a considerable change with n=2 in equation 3, which is generally used to predict relatively steep subsidence troughs. Second, assuming for now the validity of the bestfit intensity field, it seems that the effects within the extracted area close to the edge are considerable, since the intensity function is small in this area. These effects may include the shape of the caving zone and incomplete convergence near the edge.
