General indicators of stress and strain in rocks and their application to seismology

Certain general indicators of the mechanical properties of rocks that are invariant under transformations of the coordinate system are suggested for use in quantitative studies of stress and strain in rock masses. A technique is put forward for finding functional relationships between these general stress-and-strain indicators and elastic wave parameters. Examples are given of how the technique is to be used to analyze changes in the condition of a geomechanical body under slow and rapid loading regimes.