Why is the San Andreas Fault associated with frequent earthquakes?

The San Andreas Fault is a transform, or strike-slip, fault that serves as the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. These two massive plates are in constant motion, sliding laterally past one another at a rate of several centimeters per year.12

Earthquakes occur along this fault due to the accumulation of strain. As the plates move, the rock masses along the fault become locked due to friction. Over time, stress builds up within the rocks until it exceeds their strength, leading to a sudden, violent fracture. When this rupture occurs, the rock masses "spring back" to a position of less strain, a process described by the elastic rebound theory.23

This sudden release of energy generates seismic waves that propagate through the Earth's crust, which we experience as earthquakes. Because the plates are continuously sliding, stress is perpetually being re-accumulated, making the San Andreas Fault one of the most active and well-known seismic zones in the world.12