Which plate boundary type is characterized by fault lines and horizontal sliding past one another?

Which plate boundary type is characterized by fault lines and horizontal sliding past one another?

• A. Divergent boundaries
• B. Convergent boundaries
• C. Transform boundaries
• D. Subduction zones

Answer: (C)

Transform boundaries involve two tectonic plates sliding horizontally past one another along faults. This side-to-side movement creates fault lines and is dominated by horizontal shear, leading to earthquakes along those faults. It’s different from divergent boundaries, where plates move apart and new crust forms, and from convergent boundaries, where plates collide and one may subduct beneath the other. So the description of fault lines with horizontal sliding points to transform boundaries, like the San Andreas Fault.

Transform boundaries involve two tectonic plates sliding horizontally past one another along faults. This side-to-side movement creates fault lines and is dominated by horizontal shear, leading to earthquakes along those faults. It’s different from divergent boundaries, where plates move apart and new crust forms, and from convergent boundaries, where plates collide and one may subduct beneath the other. So the description of fault lines with horizontal sliding points to transform boundaries, like the San Andreas Fault.