Transform boundaries
The zone between two plates sliding horizontally past one another is called a transformfault boundary, or simply a transform boundary. The concept of transform faults
originated with Canadian geophysicist J. Tuzo Wilson, who proposed that these large
faults or fracture zones connect two spreading centers (divergent plate boundaries) or,
less commonly, trenches (convergent plate boundaries). Most transform faults are found
on the ocean floor. They commonly offset the active spreading ridges, producing zig-zag
plate margins, and are generally defined by shallow earthquakes. However, a few occur
on land, for example the San Andreas fault zone in California. This transform fault
connects the East Pacific Rise, a divergent boundary to the south, with the South Gorda -Juan de Fuca -- Explorer Ridge, another divergent boundary to the north.
The Blanco, Mendocino, Murray, and Molokai fracture zones are some of the many
fracture zones (transform faults) that scar the ocean floor and offset ridges (see text). The
San Andreas is one of the few transform faults exposed on land.
The San Andreas fault zone, which is about 1,300 km long and in places tens of
kilometers wide, slices through two thirds of the length of California. Along it, the
Pacific Plate has been grinding horizontally past the North American Plate for 10 million
years, at an average rate of about 5 cm/yr. Land on the west side of the fault zone (on the
Pacific Plate) is moving in a northwesterly direction relative to the land on the east side
of the fault zone (on the North American Plate).
San Andreas fault
Oceanic fracture zones are ocean-floor valleys that horizontally offset spreading ridges;
some of these zones are hundreds to thousands of kilometers long and as much as 8 km
deep. Examples of these large scars include the Clarion, Molokai, and Pioneer fracture
zones in the Northeast Pacific off the coast of California and Mexico. These zones are
presently inactive, but the offsets of the patterns of magnetic striping provide evidence of
their previous transform-fault activity.
Transform Plate Boundaries Key Concepts:
1. Transform plate boundaries are unique, in that the plates move horizontally past each
other on strike-slip faults. Lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed.
2. The three major types of transform boundaries are: (1) a ridge-ridge transform, which
connects two segments of a divergent plate boundary; (2) a ridge-trench transform, which
connects a ridge and a trench; and (3) a trench-trench transform, which connects two
convergent plate boundaries.
3. Transform plate boundaries are shearing zones where plates move past each other
without diverging or converging. In the shearing process, secondary features are created,
including parallel ridges and valleys, pull-apart basins, and belts of folds. Compression
and extension develop only in small areas.
4. Oceanic fracture zones are prominent linear features that trend perpendicular to the
oceanic ridge. They may be several kilometers wide and thousands of kilometers long.
The structure and topography of oceanic fracture zones depend largely on two things: the
temperature (or age) difference across the fracture, and the spreading rate of the oceanic
ridge.
5. Continental transform fault zones are similar to oceanic transforms, but they lack fracture
zone extensions.
6. Shallow earthquakes are common along transform plate boundaries; they are especially
destructive on the continents.
7. Volcanism is rare along transform plate boundaries, but small amounts of basalt erupt
locally from leaky transform faults.
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Transform boundaries examples
The Southern Alps rise dramatically beside the Alpine Fault on New Zealand's West
Coast. About 500 kilometres (300 mi) long; northwest at top.
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California's San Andreas Fault
New Zealand's Alpine Fault
Turkey's North Anatolian Fault
Indonesia's Great Sumatran fault
Middle East's Dead Sea transform fault
Pakistan's Chaman Fault