Types of

Stress
What causes Rock Deformation?
•Rocks are solid, but will respond
when force are applied to them.
•When rock deformation is being
discussed the term stress is used
rather than pressure.
Geologic Stress
•is the force that
acts on the rocks
thereby creating
different
behavior or
characteristics.
 Types of Stress
•Compression
stress
•Tension stress
•Shear stress
Compressional Stress
• Rocks push or squeeze
against one another.
• Compression causes
rocks to fold or fracture.
• Compression is the most
common stress at
convergent plate
boundaries.
 Tensional Stress
• Rocks are pulled apart.
• May separate in opposite directions
or move farther away from one
another.
• This stress is what separated all the
continents in the world during the
breaking away of the supergiant
continent known as Pangaea
 Shear Stress
• Act toward or away from
each other, but they do so
along different lines of
action, causing rock to
twist or tear. –
• Some portions of the plate
the edges may break away
in different directions,
eventually making the
plate smaller in size.