QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Long Canyon fault

15 kmlong (9 mi), as mapped
not measuredhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
17quakes 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 6.0 in 1948 (The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake) — about 32,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 15 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 faultElsinore faultSan Jacinto faultNewport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon faultLenwood-Lockhart faultHelendale-South Lockhart faultCalico-Hidalgo faultPisgah-Bullion faultCamp Rock-Emerson-Copper Mountain faultPinto Mountain fault (includes Morongo Valley fault)Brawley Seismic ZoneNorth Frontal thrust systemJohnson Valley faultLavic Lake faultMesquite Lake faultSan Gorgonio Pass faultExtra faultBullion Mountains faultMecca Hills faultHomestead Valley faultCleghorn faultHidden Spring faultIndio Hills Fault ZoneBurnt Mountain faultCrafton Hills faultCoachella Fan Fault ZoneBanning faultEureka Peak faultSkeleton Canyon faultHot Springs faultOld Woman Springs faultBeaumont Plain fault M 6.0 · 1948 · The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake
The Long Canyon fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 17 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 6.0 The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake
    December 4, 1948 · epicentre 10 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 10 km ENE of Desert Hot Springs, CA
    2025-10-08 · 3 km from the trace
  2. M 2.8 11 km E of Desert Hot Springs, CA
    2025-01-25 · 5 km from the trace
  3. M 3.0 14 km SSW of Joshua Tree, CA
    2023-12-23 · 9 km from the trace
  4. M 3.3 14 km SSW of Joshua Tree, CA
    2023-12-08 · 9 km from the trace
  5. M 2.8 10km SSW of Joshua Tree, CA
    2023-03-08 · 9 km from the trace
  6. M 2.5 8km NE of Desert Hot Springs, CA
    2022-06-01 · 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.