Mechanism, Cause, and Control of Water, Solutes, and Gas Migration Triggered by Mining Activities

Although the growth in global coal consumption has been sharply slowed with the falls in China offset to a greater extent by the increasing demand in India and other emerging Asian countries, coal still remains the largest source of energy for the world with a share of almost 30% by 2040 [1]. Mining industry plays an important role in extracting underground resources, including coal [2]. However, a large number of disastrous mine accidents, such as flood, water inrush, tunnel collapse, gas outburst, and gas explosion, have been reported due to water and gas migration caused by the mining activities, posing a threat to the environment and also to the health and safety of field workers [3–5]. According to incomplete statistics, mining-induced accidents kill over thousands of workers around the world every year, especially in developing countries such as China and India. Water inrush and gas explosion accidents are the major causes for the reported mine accidents [6, 7].