What type of fault involves rocks sliding horizontally past each other?

What type of fault involves rocks sliding horizontally past each other?

• A. Normal faults
• B. Strike-slip faults
• C. Reverse faults
• D. Thrust faults

Answer: (B)

Rocks sliding horizontally past one another occur along a strike-slip fault, where motion is mainly horizontal and parallel to the fault plane due to shear stress from plate movement at transform boundaries. This contrasts with other fault types: normal faults form when the crust is pulled apart and the hanging wall drops down relative to the footwall; reverse and thrust faults arise from compression, causing the hanging wall to be pushed up, with thrust being the low-angle version of a reverse fault. A famous example of strike-slip motion is along transform boundaries like the San Andreas Fault.

Rocks sliding horizontally past one another occur along a strike-slip fault, where motion is mainly horizontal and parallel to the fault plane due to shear stress from plate movement at transform boundaries. This contrasts with other fault types: normal faults form when the crust is pulled apart and the hanging wall drops down relative to the footwall; reverse and thrust faults arise from compression, causing the hanging wall to be pushed up, with thrust being the low-angle version of a reverse fault. A famous example of strike-slip motion is along transform boundaries like the San Andreas Fault.