When plates move past each other

Part of Hall of Planet Earth.

When Plates Move Past Each Other AMNH/R.Mickens

When oceanic or continental plates slide past each other in opposite directions, or move in the same direction but at different speeds, a transform fault boundary is formed. No new crust is created or subducted, and no volcanoes form, but earthquakes occur along the fault. The transform fault boundaries connect spreading centers and subduction zones, which are the other elements of the jigsaw puzzle of the Earth’s plates.

Breaking Oceanic Crust_ILL
Atlantis Fracture Zone Plate Map_ILL
Anatolian Fault Turkey Plate Map_ILL
San Andreas Fault Plate Map_ILL

In This Section

Exhibit Anza-Borrego This strand of the San Andreas cuts through layers of sedimentary rock in the Anza-Borrego Desert in southern California. Exhibit Atlantis fracture zone Deep-sea transform faults, such as the Atlantis, offset the mid-ocean ridges, breaking them up into segments. Exhibit San Andreas fault The San Andreas is probably the best-known transform fault boundary. Exhibit Anatolian Fault, Turkey The Anatolian transform fault system is probably the most active in the world.