QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Bennett Valley fault

40 kmlong (25 mi), as mapped
not measuredhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
38quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

Its most recent surface rupture is younger than 15,000 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.4 in 1898 (South of Sonoma, California) — about 130,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 60 kilotons of TNT.

This week vs. its last ten years

0/100

quiet

0 quakes of M1.5+ within 5 km of the trace in the last 7 days — busier than 0% of weeks since 2016. A normal week: 0–0.

Computed from the USGS catalogue · a description of the past, not a forecast · method

San Andreas faultGreat Valley thrust fault systemSan Gregorio faultBartlett Springs fault systemMaacama faultCalaveras faultHayward faultGreenville faultHunting Creek-Berryessa fault systemRodgers Creek faultWest Napa faultGreen Valley faultAlexander-Redwood Hill faultKonocti Bay faultConcord faultPleasanton faultCordelia faultBig Valley fault M 6.4 · 1898 · South of Sonoma, California
The Bennett Valley fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 38 of the M2.5+ earthquakes within 10 km of it since 2016 (dots), and the epicentres of the large historic earthquakes recorded near it (rings). Traces: USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Historic epicentres are estimates.

Every year since 2016

Earthquakes of M2.5+ with an epicentre within 10 km of the mapped trace. Near is not the same as on: some will have slipped on neighbouring faults.

The big ones recorded near it

  1. M 6.4 South of Sonoma, California
    March 31, 1898 · epicentre 4 km from the trace
  2. M 4.4 3km N of Santa Rosa, CA
    September 14, 2022 · epicentre 4 km from the trace
  3. M 4.3 4km N of Santa Rosa, CA
    September 14, 2022 · epicentre 4 km from the trace
  4. M 4.0 6 km W of Glen Ellen, CA
    December 14, 2025 · epicentre 1 km from the trace

Before 1973 from the USGS ComCat historical catalogue (within 25 km; epicentres of old earthquakes are estimates). Since 2016, M4+ within 10 km.

Most recent near it

  1. M 2.7 3 km ESE of Santa Rosa, CA
    2026-09-16 · 4 km from the trace
  2. M 3.3 3 km ESE of Larkfield-Wikiup, CA
    2026-09-03 · 4 km from the trace
  3. M 3.3 6 km SW of Kenwood, CA
    2025-12-15 · 1 km from the trace
  4. M 3.1 6 km SW of Kenwood, CA
    2025-12-14 · 1 km from the trace
  5. M 4.0 6 km W of Glen Ellen, CA
    2025-12-14 · 1 km from the trace
  6. M 2.6 6 km WSW of Kenwood, CA
    2025-12-03 · 0 km from the trace

Neighbouring faults

Fault trace, slip rate and age: USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database (public domain), simplified for the web. Earthquakes: USGS ComCat. QuakeIndex does not forecast earthquakes; a fault's history describes the past. For early warning use ShakeAlert.