Sentence:  Nearly a decade has passed since Hill and Dibblee (1953) suggested that its displacement might be as much as several hundred miles, but California geologists still interpret differently the geologic data and find themselves in two major groups: those who advocate strike slip of many miles (the <WSD>lateralists</WSD>) and those who do not (the dip-slippers). 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  One who favors a lateral approach or explanation over one that involves a different direction.