ASBOG Practice Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The type of fault movement characterized by parallel motion with no vertical displacement is known as a strike-slip fault. In this type of fault, the primary motion is horizontal, where two adjacent blocks of crust move laterally past each other. This means that if you were to stand on one side of the fault, you would see the other side shift in a direction parallel to the fault line but not move vertically.

Strike-slip faults can be further classified into right-lateral and left-lateral, depending on the direction of movement observed. Because there is no significant vertical displacement associated with this type of fault, it stands apart from normal and reverse faults, which involve vertical movement either downwards (normal) or upwards (reverse). Whereas transform faults are often used synonymously with strike-slip faults in terms of horizontal motion, they specifically refer to the tectonic plate boundaries that are sliding past one another. Understanding this key distinction in the mechanics of fault movement is essential for interpreting geological structures and tectonic activity.