Ground subsidence due to uniform fluid extraction over a circular region within an aquifer

•Analytical solution for poroelastic subsidence due to circular fluid extraction.•Numerical results for ground subsidence with depth and area-dependent extraction zone.•Comparative results for circular extraction and point sink problems.•Validation of computational approach using analytical results.

This paper examines the ground subsidence caused by the uniform extraction of fluids from a disc-shaped region located within a poroelastic halfspace. Biot’s theory of poroelasticity is used to examine the problem. The fluid extraction over the circular region at the interior of the poroelastic domain induces time-dependent axisymmetric surface settlements. The theoretical results are also used to examine the accuracy of a multi-physics computational scheme that can be used to examine more complex geological settings.