煤炭开采区生态保护是黄河流域高质量发展亟需破解的重大难题。科学认识煤层上覆岩层对煤炭开采采动损害向地表传递的响应规律是实现煤矿区生态环境全生命周期保护的重大需求。以陕北黄土覆盖区煤炭开采区为研究对象，综合运用野外地质调查、采样测试、数值模拟、室内实验和理论计算方法，针对覆岩层数、层厚、岩性、厚硬岩层与煤层的空间位置等层状结构对地下采煤的“响应−传递”特点，研究了相同采矿条件下煤层覆岩层状结构对采动覆岩应力场的影响规律，揭示了不同煤层覆岩层状结构下土壤物理、化学、微生物、侵蚀四大特性的损伤特征及煤炭开采区土壤物理、化学、微生物特性变化对侵蚀特性的作用机制。结果表明：①相同或相近的采矿条件下，采煤沉陷区地表生态损害结果的迥异主要取决于煤层上覆岩(土)层对地下采煤活动的应力应变响应、由下向上的传递及土壤损害特点。在覆岩层状结构与采动应力传递的耦合下，煤层覆岩自下而上形成了垂向强力链塑性变形区(VCP)、水平强力链弹塑性变形区(HCEP)、水平强力链弹性变形区(HCE)的采动损害特征。其中，煤层覆岩下部的互层结构及特征对塑性变形区界面高度具有重要影响。煤层上覆岩(土)层和地表土层(壤)均是地下采煤活动及其损害作用的响应载体。岩层层数、层厚、岩性、厚硬岩层与煤层的空间位置及地表变形等是影响土壤损害类型及特点的重要地质因素。②厚砂岩在覆岩中的位置是地下“VCP-HCEP”界面、“HCEP-HCE”界面发育高度和地表形变程度的第一主控因素，决定了“两界面”的发育位置和地表变形的程度，高位厚砂岩对“两界面”发育和地表形变具有较明显的抑制作用；砂层系数作为第二主控因素，在既定厚砂岩位置且砂层系数小于73%条件下与“两界面”发育和地表形变均呈正相关关系；③基于两大主控因素划分了4个覆岩层状结构基本类型，从“地下覆岩层状结构基本类型+地表形态变化程度+地表采动损害形式+土壤质量特性指标”耦合的角度，发现“低位厚砂岩+砂层系数大于73%”类型对地表土壤损害效应最为显著，其中沉陷坡面土壤物理、化学、微生物特性指标的损伤均集中在坡顶、坡中部位，降幅介于11.81%～42.01%(p < 0.05)；采动地裂缝是沉陷坡面土壤损伤的主要原因；④“低位厚砂岩+砂层系数大于73%”类型对坡面土壤可蚀性K值的放大效应最为明显，平均增幅为26.38%(p < 0.05)，其中坡顶部位土壤可蚀性K值平均增幅最大，为37.98%(p < 0.05)；沉陷坡面同一部位裂缝区土壤可蚀性K值平均增幅较非裂缝区高出92.28%(p < 0.05)；黄土沉陷坡面可蚀性K值与土壤孔隙度呈极显著正相关关系(p < 0.01)，与土壤含水率、黏粒质量分数、有机质质量分数、速效养分质量分数、土壤微生物数量及酶活性呈极显著负相关关系(p < 0.01)。因此，“低位厚砂岩+砂层系数大于73%”的覆岩层状结构类型区是陕北黄土沟壑煤炭开采区生态损害的关键区域，应采取充填减沉、土壤改良等人工措施进行保护与修复，对于“低位厚砂岩+砂层系数小于73%”和“高位厚砂岩+砂层系数大于73%” 的覆岩层状结构类型区可采取人工辅助的生态修复方式，对于“高位厚砂岩+砂层系数小于73%”的覆岩层状结构类型区则可采取自然恢复方式进行生态修复。

Ecological protection in coal mining areas is a major problem that needs to be solved urgently for high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Scientific understanding of the response law of the overlying strata of the coal seam to the surface transmission of coal mining damage is a major demand for realizing the full life cycle protection of the ecological environment in the coal mining area. Taking the coal mining area in the loess-covered area of northern Shaanxi as the research object, the field geological survey, sampling test, numerical simulation, laboratory experiment and theoretical calculation method are comprehensively used to study the ‘response-transmission’ characteristics of the layered structure such as the number of overburden layers, layer thickness, lithology, spatial position of thick and hard rock layers and coal seams on underground coal mining. The influence of coal seam overburden structure on the stress field of mining overburden under the same mining conditions is studied. The damage characteristics of soil physical, chemical, microbial and erosion characteristics under different coal seam overburden structure and the mechanism of soil physical, chemical and microbial characteristics change on erosion characteristics in coal mining area were revealed.The results show that: ① Under the same or similar mining conditions, the different results of surface ecological damage in coal mining subsidence areas mainly depend on the stress-strain response, bottom-up transmission and soil damage characteristics of the overlying rock (soil) layer of coal seam to underground coal mining activities. Under the coupling of overburden structure and mining stress transfer, the mining damage characteristics of vertical strong chain plastic deformation zone (VCP), horizontal strong chain elastic-plastic deformation zone (HCEP) and horizontal strong chain elastic deformation zone (HCE) are formed from bottom to top. Among them, the interbedded structure and characteristics of the lower part of the coal seam overburden have an important influence on the interface height of the plastic deformation zone. The overlying rock (soil) layer and the surface soil (soil) layer of the coal seam are the response carriers of underground coal mining activities and their damage. The number of strata, thickness, lithology, spatial position of thick and hard strata and coal seam and surface deformation are important geological factors affecting the types and characteristics of soil damage. ② The position of thick sandstone in the overlying strata is the first main controlling factor of the development height of the underground ‘VCP-HCEP’ interface and the ‘HCEP-HCE’ interface and the degree of surface deformation, which determines the development position of the ‘two interfaces’ and the degree of surface deformation. High thick sandstone has a significant inhibitory effect on the development of the ‘two interfaces’ and surface deformation. As the second main controlling factor, the sand layer coefficient is positively correlated with the development of ‘two interfaces’ and surface deformation under the condition of established thick sandstone position and sand layer coefficient less than 73%. ③ Based on the two main controlling factors, four basic types of overburden structure were divided. From the perspective of the coupling of ‘basic type of underground overburden structure + degree of surface morphological change + surface mining damage form + soil quality characteristic index’, it was found that the type of ‘low thick sandstone + sand layer coefficient greater than 73%’ had the most significant effect on surface soil damage. The damage of soil physical, chemical and microbial characteristic indexes on subsidence slope was concentrated on the top and middle of slope, with a decrease of 11.81% ～ 42.01% (p < 0.05). Mining ground fissures are the main cause of soil damage on subsidence slope. ④ The amplification effect of ‘low thick sandstone + sand layer coefficient greater than 73%’ type on soil erodibility K-value on slope surface was the most obvious, with an average increase of 26.38% (p < 0.05), and the average increase of soil erodibility K-value at the top of slope was the largest, which was 37.98% (p < 0.05). The average increase of soil erodibility K-value in the fracture area of the same part of the subsidence slope was 92.28% higher than that in the non-fracture area (p < 0.05). The erodibility K-value of loess subsidence slope was significantly positively correlated with soil porosity (p < 0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with soil moisture content, clay mass fraction, organic matter mass fraction, available nutrient mass fraction, soil microbial quantity and enzyme activity (p < 0.01).Therefore, the overburden structure type area of ‘low thick sandstone + sand layer coefficient greater than 73%’ is the key area of ecological damage in the loess gully coal mining area of northern Shaanxi. Artificial measures such as filling and subsidence reduction and soil improvement should be taken to protect and repair. For the overburden structure type area of ‘low thick sandstone + sand layer coefficient less than 73%’ and ‘high thick sandstone + sand layer coefficient greater than 73%’, artificial assisted ecological restoration can be adopted. For the overburden structure type area with ‘high thick sandstone + sand layer coefficient less than 73%’, the natural restoration method can be adopted for ecological restoration.