Objective  The degree and mechanism of surface soil damage under different land use types need to be explored in the semi-arid Yulin-Shenmu-Fugu mining subsidence area.

  Method  Four different land use types, including forest land, cultivated land, orchard land and grassland, were selected in Yulin-Shenmu-Fugu mining area at loess gully landform. The change characteristics of soil physical, chemical and biological properties before and after surface collapse were analyzed, and the influence of coal mining subsidence on soil properties of different land use types was discussed by principal component analysis and sorting.

  Results  Within 1-2 years after the surface subsidence of four land use types, the soil properties all developed towards the direction of decreasing water and nutrients. However, there were obvious differences in soil damage characteristics among different land use types. The soil particle composition and nutrient content of grassland, available nutrient characteristics of forestland, and sand particle content of orchard land changed significantly in their own respectively. Soil mechanical composition, organic matter and water content were the key factors affecting soil quality changes in the Yulin-Shenmu-Fugu mining area. In the process of soil system restoration of damaged land in mining area, in addition to the necessary filling of the collapsed land, measures such as artificial fertilization, irrigation and micro-topographic reconstruction should also be adopted for grassland, and forestland soil should be mainly applied with nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer supplemented by corresponding microbial agents. The less damaged orchard land and cultivated land could reduce manual intervention.

  Conclusion  In the process of ecological restoration in coal mining subsidence areas in semi-arid or arid areas, according to the degree and causes of soil damage of different land use types, taking corresponding restoration measures is beneficial to the efficient and high-quality restoration of the ecological environment of mining areas.