Overburden pressure

Overburden pressure, also called lithostatic pressure, confining pressure or vertical stress, is the pressure or stress imposed on a layer of soil or rock by the weight of overlying material. Overburden pressure, also called lithostatic pressure, confining pressure or vertical stress, is the pressure or stress imposed on a layer of soil or rock by the weight of overlying material. The Oxford Dictionary of Earth Sciences describes 'confining pressure' as 'the combined hydrostatic stress and lithostatic stress; i.e. the total weight of the interstitial pore water and rock above a specified depth.'Confining pressure might influence ductile behavior of rocks as well. Ductile behavior is enhanced where highconfining pressures are combined with high temperatures and low rates of strain, conditions characteristic of deeper crustal levels.