Abundance of aquifers in Yushenfu coal field and the measures for water-preserved coal mining

Yushenfu coal field is located in the Maowusu Desert and the Loess Plateau convergence zone in China, where ecological environment is fragile and ecological water resources are scarce. The heterogeneous distribution of main aquifers and mine water inflow influence the safe production of coal mines. Thus,the protection and uti-lization of water resources are of significance to coal mine production and ecological construction. After analyzing the distribution and water abundance of the main aquifers,such as Salawusu Formation,burnt rock and weathering bedrock,combining the thickness of overlying bedrock and water inflow on field,the operating coal mines and unplanned areas could be di-vided into four types which are the areas of water scarcity,water richness,water abundance and surface water source. The study area has been divided into sub-regions according to the classification and their distribution. Based on the classification,the concrete measures for water preservation and mine water utilization have been proposed such as stor-age and purification in goaf area,industrial utilization,agricultural irrigation,wetlands construction and artificial lakes. In the paper,the scientific content of water-preserved mining has been extended and interpreted as that both preserving shallow main aquifers and effectively utilizing coal mine water resource should be taken simultaneously. It proposes that mining damage and ecological self-repair should be considered before coal mine construction. It also proposes that the idea of using economic benefits to repay the local ecosystem and green economy which provides certain references for mining area planning and construction.