The compression of soil refers to the process of reducing the volume of soil due to the rearrangement and deformation of soil particles under external load. Compression is an instantaneous process. Usually, after loading, the soil will quickly return to its original volume state.

Consolidation of soil refers to the process of reducing the volume of soil and maintaining the volume state for a long time due to the rearrangement and deformation of soil particles under external load. Integration is a gradual process, which usually takes some time to complete.

In soil mechanics, the compression and consolidation of soil are caused by the deformation and rearrangement between soil particles. Compression is mainly because the gaps between soil particles are compressed, and soil consolidation is based on compression, which leads to the increase of contact area between particles and the increase of friction between particles, thus further reducing the volume of soil.

Generally speaking, soil compression refers to the instantaneous process of soil volume reduction under load; Consolidation of soil refers to the process that the volume of soil decreases gradually under load and can last for a long time.