In a lateral fault, one block moves horizontally past the other.

• A. Moves vertically past the other
• B. Moves horizontally past the other
• C. Rotates about a vertical axis
• D. Moves diagonally

Answer: (B)

A lateral fault is a strike-slip fault where the blocks slide past one another along the fault plane, moving primarily horizontally. This horizontal, side-by-side motion results from shear stress that pushes one block sideways relative to the other. Vertical motion would indicate a dip-slip fault (up or down), rotating about a vertical axis describes twisting rather than sliding along the fault, and diagonal motion would involve a vertical component not typical of a pure strike-slip fault. Hence the horizontal past-past movement best fits a lateral fault.