Abstract：The initial geostress measurement results up to now in China are reviewed. Three typical results from the southern mountainous area in Fujian Province，Baka oilfield in Xinjiang autonomous region and No.2 mining area of Jinchuan nickel mine in Gansu Province are listed. The ratios of the average horizontal geostresses and the vertical geostresses(RAHVG) varying with depth are plotted in a dispersed point chart following the Hoek- Brown¢s method. The regression curve and the maximum envelope curve as well as the minimum envelope curve for RAHVG are fitted in the dispersed point chart. Compared with the Hoek-Brown¢ curve，when the depth is more than 1 200 m，the RAHVG are greater than that of Hoek and Brown. The maximum envelope curve for China is almost consistent with that of Hoek and Brown，but the minimum envelope curve for China shows smaller than Hoek-Brown¢s minimum envelope curve. Furthermore，the dispersed point charts are plotted and the same type of the RAHVG curves is fitted for the rock types of the magmatic rock，sedimentary rock and metamorphic rock based on the initial geostress measurement results. The regression results of the three different rocks show the different properties in RAHVG curves. When the depth is more than 500 m，the RAHVG curve for the sedimentary rock is approaching to 1.0. For the magmatic rock in China，the values in the RAHVG curve are bigger than those of the other two types when the depth is less than 500 m，but smaller when the depth is more than 500 m. The measurement geostresses for the metamorphic rock are more dispersed than those for the other two types of rocks. The fitted regression curves are of importance for the numerical analysis of underground engineering.
