AbstractOne of the great challenges of unconfined seepage through a dam lies in the accurate determination of free surface that depends on the complexity of the seepage model, especially if the model is characterized with complex geometry and sharp variations in permeability distribution. This study presents a practical methodology that combines the adaptive moving-mesh algorithm and the Galerkin finite element method (FEM) to solve an unconfined seepage problem with high efficiency and precision. The methodology employs a set of improvement terms, such as remainder factor, step-size parameter and termination condition, all of which guarantee that the simulation and the refinement fitting can be implemented efficiently until the free surface converges within a given allowable error. In particular, a specialized discussion is presented for the significant relation between the location of the exit point and the corresponding grid fineness. To validate the practicability of the proposed method, a series of examples are performed. Comparing the result with those of other numerical approaches, we conclude that even though the unconfined seepage model may be complicated with arbitrary complex geometry and sharp variations in permeability distribution, the proposed algorithm provides a great improvement in efficiency and accuracy in free-surface searching.