QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Greenville fault

91 kmlong (57 mi), as mapped
1–5 mm/yrhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
82quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

The two sides move 1 to 5 mm a year — 10 to 50 cm (4 to 20 inches) every century.

It has broken the ground surface within the last 150 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.5 in 1911 (Near Morgan Hill, California) — about 150,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 71 kilotons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 4 sections: Arroyo Mocho section, Clayton section, Marsh Creek-Greenville section, San Antonio Valley section.

This week vs. its last ten years

98/100

unusual

3 quakes of M1.5+ within 5 km of the trace in the last 7 days — busier than 98% 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 faultFoothills fault systemCalaveras faultHayward faultMonterey Bay- Tularcitos faultZayante-Vergeles faultOrtigalita faultRodgers Creek faultSargent faultMonte Vista-Shannon faultButano faultWest Napa faultBennett Valley faultGreen Valley faultEast Monterey Bay faultConcord faultPleasanton faultCordelia faultSerra faultCorral Hollow-Carnegie faultLas Positas fault M 6.5 · 1911 · Near Morgan Hill, California M 6.3 · 1881 · Southwest of Modesto, California M 6.2 · 1858 · North of San Jose, California M 6.1 · 1864 · Santa Clara County, California M 6.0 · 1864 · Alameda County, California M 6.0 · 1866 · Southwest of Stockton, California
The Greenville fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 82 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 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California
    July 1, 1911 · epicentre 22 km from the trace
  2. M 6.3 Southwest of Modesto, California
    April 10, 1881 · epicentre 12 km from the trace
  3. M 6.2 North of San Jose, California
    November 26, 1858 · epicentre 21 km from the trace
  4. M 6.1 Santa Clara County, California
    February 26, 1864 · epicentre 14 km from the trace
  5. M 6.0 Alameda County, California
    March 5, 1864 · epicentre 22 km from the trace
  6. M 6.0 Southwest of Stockton, California
    July 15, 1866 · epicentre 14 km from the trace
  7. M 4.5 1km SSE of Pleasant Hill, CA
    October 15, 2019 · epicentre 9 km from the trace
  8. M 4.3 12km WSW of Byron, CA
    July 16, 2019 · epicentre 5 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 2.6 26 km WSW of Westley, CA
    2026-09-27 · 4 km from the trace
  2. M 3.5 27 km WSW of Westley, CA
    2026-09-27 · 4 km from the trace
  3. M 3.0 9 km SW of Brentwood, CA
    2026-09-14 · 4 km from the trace
  4. M 2.5 9 km SW of Brentwood, CA
    2026-09-13 · 4 km from the trace
  5. M 3.1 9 km ENE of Blackhawk, CA
    2026-09-12 · 2 km from the trace
  6. M 2.5 2 km SE of Concord, CA
    2026-08-17 · 4 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.