Tensile failure: where the well pressure is too high for the wellbore at

a given trajectory, losses occur through opening pre-existing natural

fractures and initiation of new (induced) fractures occurs if the well
pressure exceeds the fracture gradient e.g. when mud weight overcomes
borehole stresses and rock strength.
Compressive failure: when the well pressure is too low for a
particular well trajectory, wellbore stress builds up and the wellbore
wall tries to contract and close. This can occur at high or low mud
weights. The mode of failure depends on mechanical properties of the
rock, varying from creep closure in weak and soft ductile formations
like salt to while in competent and brittle rocks, this leads to cavings
and overgauge holes, when the cavings fall into the wellbore.
These generalised failure types are illustrated below and overleaf