what type of plate boundary is the san andreas fault part of
San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that extends roughly 1,200 kilometers (750 mi) through California.[1] It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, and its motion is right-lateral strike-slip (horizontal). The fault divides into three segments, each with different characteristics and a different degree of earthquake risk, the most significant being the southern segment, which passes within about 35 miles (56 km) of Los Angeles. The slip rate along the fault ranges from 20 to 35 mm (0.79 to 1.38 in)/yr.[1]
Earthquake Most of the world's earthquakes (90%, and 81% of the largest) take place in the 40,000Â km long, horseshoe-shaped zone called the circum-Pacific seismic belt, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, which for the most part bounds the Pacific Plate.[39][40] Massive earthquakes tend to occur along other plate boundaries, too, such as along the Himalayan Mountains.[41]
North American Plate On its western edge, the Farallon Plate has been subducting under the North American Plate since the Jurassic Period. The Farallon Plate has almost completely subducted beneath the western portion of the North American Plate leaving that part of the North American Plate in contact with the Pacific Plate as the San Andreas Fault. The Juan de Fuca, Explorer, Gorda, Rivera, Cocos and Nazca plates are remnants of the Farallon Plate.
Pacific Plate The north-eastern side is a divergent boundary with the Explorer Plate, the Juan de Fuca Plate and the Gorda Plate forming respectively the Explorer Ridge, the Juan de Fuca Ridge and the Gorda Ridge. In the middle of the eastern side is a transform boundary with the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault, and a boundary with the Cocos Plate. The south-eastern side is a divergent boundary with the Nazca Plate forming the East Pacific Rise.[citation needed]