A strike-slip fault is characterized by movement that is primarily in what direction?

A strike-slip fault is characterized by movement that is primarily in what direction?

• A. Horizontal
• B. Vertical
• C. Diagonal
• D. Circular

Answer: (A)

Strike-slip faults involve rocks sliding past one another along the fault plane in a horizontal direction. The motion is driven by shear stress that pushes the blocks sideways, so one side moves left or right relative to the other. A well-known example is the San Andreas Fault, where the movement is predominantly horizontal. Vertical movement is the hallmark of other fault types, such as normal faults (pulling apart) or reverse faults (compressing together), which is why vertical isn’t the right description here. Diagonal would imply a significant up-and-down component as well as sideways motion, which isn’t the defining feature of a strike-slip fault. Circular motion doesn’t describe how rocks slip along a fault at all. So the best description is horizontal movement.

Strike-slip faults involve rocks sliding past one another along the fault plane in a horizontal direction. The motion is driven by shear stress that pushes the blocks sideways, so one side moves left or right relative to the other. A well-known example is the San Andreas Fault, where the movement is predominantly horizontal.

Vertical movement is the hallmark of other fault types, such as normal faults (pulling apart) or reverse faults (compressing together), which is why vertical isn’t the right description here. Diagonal would imply a significant up-and-down component as well as sideways motion, which isn’t the defining feature of a strike-slip fault. Circular motion doesn’t describe how rocks slip along a fault at all.

So the best description is horizontal movement.