Abstract: Water-sand mixture inrush(WSMI)represents a typical complex geological disaster in coal mining, characterized by high abruptness and destructive potential, posing serious threats to mine safety. To systematically clarify its patterns and mechanisms, this study adopted a Meta-analysis approach, reviewing and synthesizing 218 articles and typical cases published from 1980 to 2024. The results indicate that: (1)WSMI disasters exhibit spatial aggregation and zoning. Their temporal distribution closely follows the national coal development trajectory, which has progressed" from east to west and from shallow to deep,"forming four major regional patterns: the shallow-buried loose layer type in Northwest China, the shallow-buried aeolian sand type in Northwest China, the deep-buried weakly cemented bedrock type in Northwest China, and the thick unconsolidated layer-thin bedrock type in North China. (2)A total of 27 disaster-inducing factors across three categories were identified. Hydrostatic pressure, fracture morphology, thickness of the loose layer, and roof management were identified as dominant controlling factors. A multi-factor coupled disaster-chain mechanism centered on hydrostatic pressure triggering, fracture propagation, and sand transport was elucidated. Combined with multi-factor sensitivity analysis, WSMI occurrence is jointly controlled by multi-factor coupling and transient shifts in dominant factors. (3)Based on the traditional"source-pathway-space-triggering" framework, the concept of "source distribution structure" is proposed. This describes the spatial configuration and potential energy relationship between water and sand sources, where spatial arrangement and potential difference determine whether a disaster occurs. (4)The evolution of WSMI pathways follows a nonlinear sequence of"incubation-triggering-expansion,"which can be categorized as gradual-incubation type or sudden-triggering type. This study provides an integrated review perspective and a conceptual disaster framework for understanding WSMI disaster mechanisms.