Abstract: In order to reveal the laws of stress distribution and crack evolutionary of overburden in up-dip mining, we attempt to adopt the physical simulation experiment in the lab. Trough the experiment, we get the regional divisions of abutment distribution in the up-dip mining, the location and numerical value of abutment pressure peaks along the advancing direction, the laws that the height of the＂three zones＂in the overburden strata and the width of the crack area of pressure relief with the advancing of the working face.