Where Do the Stress That Deform Rocks Come from?

Stress is the force applied to a rock and may cause deformation. The three main types of stress are typical of the three types of plate boundaries: compression at convergent boundaries, tension at divergent boundaries, and shear at transform boundaries. Where rocks deform plastically, they tend to fold.

Where does the stress in rocks form from?

When plates collide, move apart, and slide past each other, lots of things happen. Nearly all earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building happens at plate boundaries. When plates are pushed or pulled, the rock is subjected to stress. Stress can cause a rock to change shape or to break.

What causes the rock to deform?

Within the Earth rocks are continually being subjected to forces that tend to bend them, twist them, or fracture them. When rocks bend, twist or fracture we say that they deform (change shape or size). The forces that cause deformation of rock are referred to as stresses (Force/unit area).