"other way around...the NW-SE faults are the transforms and the NE-SW faults are the orientation of the future spreading centers."

So what you are saying is the San Andreas is the transform, and the cross faults indicated on the map are the spreading centers? hmmmmm..... That means the transform fault goes from the Salton Sea up to Cape Mendocino.

I can see how that works, imagining the history of the subduction of the Farallon plate. Never really thought about it before, although I did wonder how a strike-slip like the San Andreas came out of a subducted spreading center. Kind of makes sense now.

Boy, that's sure one active transform. Open ocean transforms don't seem that active. But, that probably happened due to the subduction.

Brian