<p>Considering the fact that most coal mines in China involve extracting multiple seams, the cumulative overburden rock damage caused by the sequential mining of multiple seams is a scientific problem that must be addressed. In this study, the overburden failure and fracture propagation behavior of two typical, spatially overlapping, sequentially extracted seams #2⁻² and 4⁻² of the Buertai coal mine in the Shendong coalfield were systematically investigated. The results showed that the fractal dimension of overlying strata fractures exhibited a “power function” increasing trend with the advancing distance. The height of the overburdened hydraulic fracture zone (HFZ) of seam #2⁻² increased by 26.2% due to the additional disturbance caused by the extraction of seam #4⁻². The total height of the connected HFZs of two seams was approximately 155 m. The upper seam extraction had a significant depressurization effect on the lower seam in that the vertical stress generally decreased. The front abutment pressure increased with the advance distance before the goaf was square, then decreased, and finally increased abruptly at a location approximately 100 m from the stopping line. The total overburden failure volume during the sequential extraction increased quasi-exponentially, at first with the advance distance and then linearly after the overlying strata completely failed. As the advance distance increased, the ratio of tensile failure increased and exceeded that of shear failure. The ratio of tensile to shear failures stabilized at 1.5:1 after the complete failure of the overlying strata. The results also provide a basis for understanding the overburden failure behavior and analyzing the HFZ of sequentially extracted multiple seams and a reference for water-preserving coal mining and mine hazard control and prevention.</p>