Transform faults

Abstract

Transform faults represent one of the three types of plate boundaries. A peculiar aspect of their nature is that they are abruptly transformed into another kind of plate boundary at their termination (Wilson, 1965). Plates glide along the fault and move past each other without destruction of or creation of new crust. Although crust is neither created or destroyed, the transform margin is commonly marked by topographic features like scarps, trenches or ridges.