Strike-slip
The term strike-slip refers to a type of fault where two fault blocks slip in opposite directions of each other. Unlike a normal fault or reverse fault, strike-slip faults are vertical, or nearly vertical. When standing on one side of the fault and looking over to the other, if:
- the opposite block moves to the right it is known as right-lateral or dextral
- the opposite block moves to the left it is known as left-lateral or sinistral. [1]
Following is a video from Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) that shows how a strike-slip fault moves:
Transform faults are a specific type of strike-slip faults that connect areas of seafloor spreading in oceanic plates. The horizontal movement along transform faults accommodates movement between two oceanic ridges or other tectonic boundaries. [2] Following is a another video from IRIS showing the placement of transform faults between mid-ocean ridges:
Notable Strike-Slip Faults and Their Most Recent Earthquakes
- San Andreas Fault (US) - 1905 San Francisco (M7.7 to M8.25)
- Denali Fault (US) - 2002 Denali (M7.9)
- North and East Anatolian Faults (Turkey) - 2010 Elâzığ (M6.1)
- Alpine Fault (New Zealand) - 2009 Fiordland (M7.4)
- Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault Zone (Hispaniola) - 2010 Haiti (M7.0)