The study looked at how the thickness of the coal seam affects the movement of the roof in underground mining operations. By combining field observations and simulations, they found that when the coal seam is thicker, the rocks around the mining area move over a wider area both horizontally and vertically, putting more pressure on the roof. As the seam gets thicker, the pressure from the surrounding rocks becomes more spread out and less concentrated. Thicker seams also lead to more intense movement in the layers of rock, which has implications for safety regulations in coal mining. The study suggests that there should be a limit to how thick the coal seam can be for safe fully mechanized mining operations.