A
transform fault or
transform boundary, also known as
conservative plate boundary since these faults neither create nor destroy
lithosphere, is a type of
fault whose relative
motion is predominantly
horizontal in either
sinistral or
dextral direction. Furthermore, transform faults end abruptly and are connected on both ends to other faults, ridges, or
subduction zones. While most transform faults are hidden in the deep oceans where they form a series of short
zigzags accommodating
seafloor spreading (see graphic at right), the best-known (and most
destructive) are those on land at the margins of
tectonic plates. Transform faults are the only type of
strike-slip fault that can be classified as a plate boundary.