| A | B |
|---|
| The force acting on a surface per unit area | Stress |
| The forces acting on a surface of a body that are the same in all directions | Pressure |
| The force is greater from one direction than from another | Differential Stress |
| Force that is equal in all directions | Uniform stress |
| Confining Stress | Uniform Stress |
| Confining Pressure | Uniform Stress |
| Lithostatic Pressure | Uniform Stress transmitted by an overlying rock |
| Stress that acts in a direction perpendicular to and away from a surface | Tension |
| Stress that acts perpendicualr to and toward a surface | Compression |
| Stress that acts parallel to a surface | Shear |
| Elastic Limit | The limit beyond which material is permanently deformed |
| Stress that pulls or stretches rocks, sometimese causing the volume to increase | Tension |
| Stress that squeezes rocks, shortening them or decreasing their volume | Compressional |
| Stress that causes a rock to change shape by bending flowering or breaking | Shear |
