Home › Major US Faults

Major Earthquake Faults of the United States

The active faults that drive America's earthquake hazard — mapped from the USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Pick a fault for its trace, earthquake history, slip rate, and seismic risk.

San Andreas FaultCalifornia — from the Salton Sea to Cape Mendocino · Right-lateral strike-slipLast major quake: 1906 M7.9 (north) · 1857 M7.9 (south)Garlock FaultSouthern California — north edge of the Mojave Desert · Left-lateral strike-slipLast major quake: ~1450–1640 (paleoseismic)Elsinore FaultSouthern California — Riverside to San Diego counties · Right-lateral strike-slipLast major quake: 1892 M7.0–7.3 (Laguna Salada)Wasatch FaultUtah — along the Wasatch Front (Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden) · Normal (dip-slip), west-dippingLast major quake: ~500 yr ago (Nephi segment, M~7.0)New Madrid Seismic ZoneMissouri · Arkansas · Tennessee · Kentucky · Illinois · Right-lateral strike-slip + blind thrust (intraplate)Last major quake: 1811–1812 (M7.3–7.5 sequence)Cascadia Subduction ZoneOffshore Pacific Northwest — northern California to Vancouver Island · Subduction megathrust (thrust)Last major quake: January 26, 1700 (M8.7–9.2)San Jacinto FaultSouthern California — San Bernardino to the Imperial Valley · Right-lateral strike-slipLast major quake: 1987 M6.6 Superstition HillsNewport–Inglewood FaultSouthern California — Los Angeles to Long Beach, continuing to San Diego (Rose Canyon) · Right-lateral strike-slip (largely buried)Last major quake: 1933 M6.4 Long BeachCalaveras FaultSan Francisco Bay Area — Hollister to Danville (east side of the bay) · Right-lateral strike-slip (creeping)Last major quake: 1984 M6.2 Morgan HillDenali FaultAlaska — central Alaska Range (extending into Yukon and British Columbia) · Right-lateral strike-slipLast major quake: 2002 M7.9 (largest US strike-slip in ~150 yr)Hayward FaultSan Francisco Bay Area — the urban East Bay · Right-lateral strike-slip (creeping + locked)Last major quake: 1868 M6.8

See all mapped faults on the interactive fault line map, or check the seismic risk at any address. Buying a home? See what California’s fault-line law (the Alquist-Priolo Act) actually requires.