Abstract:Surface subsidence caused by coal mining will not only destroy the cultivated land, but also can cause damage to ecological environment and infrastructure construction, and cause negative effect seriously for the social and economic development. How to quickly survey the base number of coal mining subsidence, and clarify responsibilities and classification management is particularly important. In this paper, taking Shandong province as an example, rapid investigation method of coal mining subsidence has been formed based on remote sensing and elevation difference characteristics. This method focuses on surveying the areas of coal mining collapse that the surface has lost more than 0.5m in a certain period and damages the people's production and life .Through study, the location, scale, damage degree, land use and other basic situations of coal mining subsidence have been identified, and the foundation database of coal mining subsidence in Shandong province has been established.