# How to calculate the initial stress database based on the slip displacement

**URL:** <https://community.geodynamics.org/t/how-to-calculate-the-initial-stress-database-based-on-the-slip-displacement/4575>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [July 3, 2026, 6:07am UTC](https://community.geodynamics.org/t/how-to-calculate-the-initial-stress-database-based-on-the-slip-displacement/4575 "2026-07-03T06:07:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![adix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@adix](https://community.geodynamics.org/u/adix)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 6:07am UTC](https://community.geodynamics.org/t/how-to-calculate-the-initial-stress-database-based-on-the-slip-displacement/4575/1 "2026-07-03T06:07:06Z")

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![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/geodynamics/original/2X/5/5a6f166a24d6618ee86a98f42b68343f871b3eaf.png)

_“I am a beginner learning Pylith. The slip amount shown in the figure is obtained from inversion. How can I use it to obtain the initial stress database?”_

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**Author:** ![baagaard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/community.geodynamics.org/baagaard/32/615_2.png) [@baagaard](https://community.geodynamics.org/u/baagaard)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://community.geodynamics.org/t/how-to-calculate-the-initial-stress-database-based-on-the-slip-displacement/4575/2 "2026-07-04T03:06:48Z")

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Please explain the type of boundary value problem you want to solve (diagrams and equations are helpful). How do you want to compute initial stress from fault slip? Do you want to prescribe fault slip and solve the static elasticity equation to compute the change in fault tractions? What do you mean by “initial stress” database? Are you referring to fault tractions? What do you mean by “initial”?