Abstract: Most metal deposits with the steeply dipping geological structure are typically formed in structural fault zones, and caving mining often result in significant ground movement. In a study conducted at the Jinshandian Iron Mine in Huangshi, Hubei Province, a geological structure model is constructed based on the typical geological profile. The influence of steeply dipping geological structure on the ground movement law in caving mining was investigated by means of scaled-down physical model tests. The results show that, influenced by the steeply dipping geological structure, the ground movement in the goaf can be divided into three stages: slow growth, rapid growth and surface subsidence damage, in which the ground movement of the hanging wall is much larger than that of the footwall. Specifically, the hanging wall is primarily characterized by toppling deformation and failure, and the footwall is dominated by shear-slip failure. The roof strata in the goaf continuously collapse and fill the goaf to control the ground movement, forming a falling arch to resist the movement of the rock layer on the hanging wall and footwall towards the extraction area by its arch foot. However, when the roof falls to the surface, the supporting role of the caving arch diminishes, leading to toppling fracture collapses in the hanging wall near the goaf and shear-slip collapses in the footwall.

Key words: metal mining, model test, steeply dipping geological structure, ground movement, caving arch