overpressure

Subsurface pressure that is abnormally high, exceeding hydrostatic pressure at a given depth. The term geopressure is commonly, and incorrectly, used synonymously. Abnormally high pore pressure can occur in areas where burial of fluid-filled sediments is so rapid that pore fluids cannot escape, so the pressure of the pore fluids increases as overburden increases. Drilling into overpressured strata can be