Transcurrent and transform faults: A problem of terminology

Transform faults do not differ in any fundamental manner from ordinary transcurrent faults. They all must terminate on structures in which surface area is increased or decreased. This is a direct consequence of the occurrence of strike-slips on these faults. The apparent differences between oceanic ridge-ridge faults and transcurrent faults on continents are the result of the former being embedded in oceanic crust which is younger than the faulting process. The two terms are, therefore, synonymous, and also equivalent to the broader term "strike-slip fault." Within this broad class of faults, distinctions may be made according to the magnitude of displacement, length of fault, size of blocks delimited by the faults, relations to other structures, and age relations between the faulting process and the rocks in which the fault, or fault segment, is embedded.