what type of fault is the san andreas fault

The San Andreas Fault is a right-lateral strike‑slip transform fault where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate slide horizontally past each other.

Quick Scoop

• It is a strike‑slip fault, meaning most motion is horizontal rather than up‑and‑down.

• More specifically, it is right‑lateral: if you stand on one side of the fault, the opposite side moves to your right over time.

• Tectonically, it forms a transform plate boundary between the Pacific and North American plates.

• It runs about 750 miles (1,200 km) through California, making it one of the most studied faults in the world.

In geology terms, when people ask “what type of fault is the San Andreas Fault,” the precise answer is: a continental right‑lateral strike‑slip transform fault.

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