strike-slip fault

American  

[strahyk lip fawlt] / ˈstraɪk ˌlɪp ˌfɔlt /

noun

1. Geology. a vertical fracture in Earth's crust, where the masses of fractured rock slide past one another horizontally, a well-known example of which is the San Andreas Fault.

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strike-slip fault British  

noun

1. a geological fault on which the movement is along the strike of the fault

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strike-slip fault Scientific  

1. A geologic fault in which the blocks of rock on either side of the fault slide horizontally, parallel to the strike of the fault.

2. See Note and illustration at fault

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Example Sentences

This earthquake was triggered by a strike-slip fault, where two large sections of the Earth's crust move horizontally past each other along a vertical fracture.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

The East Anatolian, like the San Andreas, is a strike-slip fault — one that runs vertically, and the ground moves sideways during the rupture.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2023

The East Anatolian Fault is a strike-slip fault.

From Reuters • Feb. 7, 2023

Large strike-slip fault zones on land are not common , Dr. Hough said; the San Andreas Fault in California is another example.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2023

An example of a dextral, right-lateral strike-slip fault is the San Andreas Fault, which denotes a transform boundary between the North American and Pacific plates.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017