strike-slip
noun
often attributive
1
: a fault about which movement is predominantly horizontal
2
: a slipping movement along the strike of a fault
strike-slip earthquakes
Examples of strike-slip in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Normal and reverse faults involve vertical displacement—known as dip-slip—while strike-slip faults feature horizontal movement.
—
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
How the fault moves The Tintina fault is a right-lateral strike-slip fault, the same type as California's San Andreas fault, meaning the two sides of the fault grind past each other horizontally.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2025
In addition, even if most of the fault motion is vertical (a classic strike-slip fault), the slip curves at first, then remains linear as the slip slows down.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Earthquakes on subduction faults, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another, have a larger risk of creating big tsunamis than earthquakes on strike-slip faults, such as the San Andreas, where plates are rubbing alongside each other.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
The strike-slip fault extends through parts San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Analysis of the data in Morocco indicates two types of movement: The land on one side shifted horizontally relative to the other, known as strike-slip, as well as upward relative to the other, known as a reverse thrust.
—Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Fortunately for the Argo, strike-slip fault lines like the San Andreas do not typically produce large tsunamis.
—WIRED, 15 June 2023
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Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
How the fault moves The Tintina fault is a right-lateral strike-slip fault, the same type as California's San Andreas fault, meaning the two sides of the fault grind past each other horizontally.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2025
In addition, even if most of the fault motion is vertical (a classic strike-slip fault), the slip curves at first, then remains linear as the slip slows down.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Earthquakes on subduction faults, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another, have a larger risk of creating big tsunamis than earthquakes on strike-slip faults, such as the San Andreas, where plates are rubbing alongside each other.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
The strike-slip fault extends through parts San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Analysis of the data in Morocco indicates two types of movement: The land on one side shifted horizontally relative to the other, known as strike-slip, as well as upward relative to the other, known as a reverse thrust.
—Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Fortunately for the Argo, strike-slip fault lines like the San Andreas do not typically produce large tsunamis.
—WIRED, 15 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Strike-slip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike-slip. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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