This chapter discusses the transform fault precursors, continental strike-slip fault zones, and the role of pre-existing anisotropy on their development. It focuses on the potential perturbation of their controlling dynamics and its effect on their structural architecture. The chapter contains a series of examples from failed and successful rift systems, helping to understand the role of different scales of pre-existing anisotropy. These examples serve to illustrate the wide variety of transform, transfer, and accommodation zones that may evolve as a result of crustal inhomogeneities during the activity of a controlling stress regime. They also show how the anisotropy zones manifest themselves in different ways, depending on the relationship between the type of anisotropy and the imposed slip vector.

This chapter discusses the progressive evolution of the transform, which is supported by published constraints including analog material modeling, earthquake data, sedimentological data, paleomagnetic data, and reflection seismic images. It focuses on the host lithosphere control on the depth extent of evolving transcurrent faults and their structural styles.