The San Andreas is undoubtedly the most studied fault system in the world . Over the years , research has shown that displacement occurs along discrete segments that behave Somewhat differently from one another. A few sections of the San Andreas exhibit a slow a show, gradual displacement know as fault creep, which occurs without the buildup of significant strain. These sections produce only minor seismic shaking. Other segments slip at regular intervals, producing small-to-moderate earthquakes. Still other segments remain locked and store energy for a few hundred years before rupturing in great earthquakes . Earthquakes that occur along locked segment of the San Andreas Fault tend to be repetitive . As soon as one is over , the continuous motion of the plates begins building strain anew . Decades or centuries later, the fault fails again.