transform fault

transform fault Word Origin noun Geology.

1. a strike-slip fault that offsets a mid-ocean ridge in opposing directions on either side of an axis of seafloor spreading.

Compare fracture zone. Origin of transform fault First recorded in 1970–75 transform fault in Science transform fault [trăns′fôrm′]

1. A type of strike-slip fault that accommodates the relative horizontal slip between other tectonic elements, such as tectonic plates, and is common along the edges of plates in mid-ocean ridge regions. The lateral displacement along transform faults often ends or changes form abruptly. See Note at fault.