Abstract：The burst of soft rock is studied by program ANSYS. By analyzing the generated data，the criterion of generalized stress (strain) rate is proposed as a means to predict rockburst occurrence. During rockburst，the stress and strain at the location close to the burst point change more rapidly than any other location at the same moment，and also the two variables at the moment close to the burst time vary more speedily than those at any other moment within the same location. As a practical example，the criterion is employed to forecast the rockburst with face extraction，and a rational conclusion is obtained.
