In the case of this thick and gentle coal seam no. 3 of the Jiu Valley coal basin (Romania), the mining methods are by use of the longwall mining technologies with roof control by caving or top coal caving. In this paper, it is presented the analysis of the complex deformations of ground surface, over time, as a consequence of the coal mining in certain mining fields of the basin. Also, it is analysed the ground surface subsidence phenomenon using the CESAR-LCPC finite element code. The modelling is made in the elasticity and the elasto-plasticity behaviour hypothesis for two significant cases of Livezeni and Uricani mines. The obtained results are compared with the in situ measurements data basis.