Faults form as the Earth's crust deforms due to stress. Most commonly this stress is caused by plate tectonics. The tectonic plates are moving due to convection inside the Earth's mantle. This can cause plates to collide, causing compressive stresses. Or plates can move apart, leading to extension. read more
Faults form as the Earth’s crust deforms due to stress. Most commonly this stress is caused by plate tectonics. The tectonic plates are moving due to convection inside the Earth’s mantle. This can cause plates to collide, causing compressive stresses. Or plates can move apart, leading to extension. Lastly plates can move past each other. read more
The San Andreas Fault that runs through California is one of the most famous strike-slip faults in the world because it's so large and causes so many earthquakes. Lesson Summary Earth's crust is broken up into tectonic plates, which are like giant puzzle pieces made of large slabs of rock. read more
Strike-slip faults are usually vertical, while normal and reverse faults are often at an angle to the surface of the Earth. The different styles of faulting can also combine in a single event, with one fault moving in both a vertical and strike-slip motion during an earthquake. read more