The basic characteristics of strike- slip structures will be generally summarized. The following items will be addressed, the mechanic mechanisms of strike- slip structures and the significances of both basement pre- existing faults and pre- existing weak planes, the mechanically quantitative description of direct, transpressional and transtensional strike slips, occurring orders and controlling factors and geometric relationships of various structures, flower structures occurring places, and structural types of strike- slip belts. Methods: This study is based on the brittle fracture criteria like the Coulomb criterion, frictional sliding criterion, Griffith criterion and Anderson faulting models. Results: The extreme stress Mohr circles were obtained to indicate direct, transpressional and transtensional strike slips. The occurring orders of strike slip structures were summarized. The formation conditions for shear fractures, tensional fractures and normal faults, reverse faults were gotten. The critical depths were calculated for tensional fractures and normal faults in direct strike slips. The intersection angles between the structures and the principal displacement zone were determined. The identification signatures of strike slip belts both on seismic data and on ground surfaces were put forward.Conclusions: Both co- axial stresses (pure shears) and force couples (simple shears) can form strike- slip structures. Pure shears do not form large scale strike slip structures, but they can form direct (simple shear), transpressional (semi- simple shear) and transtensional (sime- simple shear) strike slips. The two groups of conjugate fractures might occur with equal development degrees or one of the two groups might develop with higher degree. The most large scale strike slip structures in sedimentary basins were formed with the rejuvenations of pre- existing faults and pre- existing weak planes together with their overlying sedimentary layers. Some strike slip structures were newborn locally. These faulting activities would be called quasi- frictional sliding with direct, transpressional and transtensional strike slip. The direct strike slips, the simple shears refers to zero normal stress on the actively pre- existing or weak planes, the transpressional and transtensional strike slips, the semi- simple shears to non- zero normal stresses on the actively pre- existing or weak planes. Folds, reverse faults, tensional fractures or normal faults, and shear fractures oblique to or parallel to the principal displacement zones will occur in a strike slip zone. In the ductile layers or multilayered (ductile—brittle) sequence, folds formed firstly and fold- related reverse faults formed. Subsequently, the Riedel shears (R and R′ shears) formed and then P shears and Y shears. In the brittle layers, the fractures might form firstly and orderly. Tensional or normal faults will occur separately because whether Riedel shears or tensional fractures and normal faults occur depends on the relative magnitudes of the shear strength to the tensional strength. There is a critical depth hc in direct strike slip. Where the burial depths are less than the hc, the medium principal stresses are vertical. The Riedel shears and related folds in the stepovers of R shears will occur with tensional strengths bigger than 2/2 τ0 (cohesion of country rock) and tensional fractures will occur with tensional strengths less than2/2/ τ0. Where the burial depths are bigger than the hc, the maximum principal stresses are vertical and normal faults will occur with the same strikes as the tensional fractures. Vertically, deep normal faults will connect with shallow tensional fractures. Kinematically similar structures will form in transpressional and transtensional strike slips. Reverse faults (first order) will form in the transpressional strike slips with two compressional principal stresses in horizontal plane and the maximum principal stresses vertically. Shallow normal faults (first order) will form in the transtensional strike slips with two tensional principal stresses in horizontal plane. Except the P shears, the other structures have certain angle relationships with the principal displacement zone in plane in direct strike slips. These angle relationships will change and their changing magnitudes will depend on rock mechanic properties and applied stress states in transpressional and transtensional strike slips. Typical strike slip zone will be dominated by one or several structures in sedimentary basins. In cross sections, the structures compose positive and negative flower structures, occurring in oversteps or non- oversteps of R shears and convergent or divergent oversteps of Y shears. In planes, the strike slip zones are characterized by narrow linear structural belts. The connection and superimposition between the various directional and mechanic faults form the special structural textures in strike slip zones with alternatively transpressional, transtensional and direct strike slips. These structures form the identification signatures in ground surfaces and on seismic data. Also, they are of significance in hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.