According to the theory of plate tectonics, the San Andreas Fault represents the transform (strike-slip) boundary between two major plates of the Earth's crust: the Northern Pacific to the south and west and the North American to the north and east. The Northern Pacific plate is sliding laterally past the North American plate in a northerly direction, and hence the San Andreas is classified as a strike-slip fault. The movement of the plates relative to each other has been about 1 cm (0.4 inch) per year over geologic time, though the annual rate of movement has been 4 to 6 cm (1.6 to 2.4 inches) per year since the early 20th century. Parts of the fault line moved as much as 6.4 metres (21 feet) during the 1906 earthquake.

The great majority of California's population lives in the vicinity of the San Andreas Fault. Some cities, towns, housing developments, and roads are actually built on it, and a tunnel of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) is bored right through the fault zone. Measures taken to offset the danger from earthquakes include reinforcing roads and bridges to withstand tremors and constructing buildings to absorb seismic shocks.