How do transform plate boundaries produce earthquakes?

Transform plate boundaries produce earthquakes through the process of horizontal shear, where two tectonic plates slide laterally past one another along giant fractures in the Earth's crust known as transform faults.12

Because these fault surfaces are rarely smooth, the plates do not slide past each other seamlessly. Instead, they often become temporarily locked due to friction and irregularities along the fault line. As the plates continue to move slowly due to convective currents in the mantle, stress and strain accumulate at these locked sections.13

When this stored elastic energy exceeds the strength of the surrounding rocks, the rocks suddenly fracture and slip. This abrupt release of energy causes the rocks to "rebound" to a position of less strain, generating seismic waves that propagate through the Earth and cause the ground to shake. These events are typically characterized as shallow-focus earthquakes, such as those frequently observed along the San Andreas Fault.34