QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Mohawk Valley fault

79 kmlong (49 mi), as mapped
0.2–1 mm/yrhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
38quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

The two sides move 0.2 to 1 mm a year — 2 to 10 cm every century.

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

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.2 in 1888 (South of Cromberg, California) — about 63,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 30 kilotons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 2 sections: Mohawk Valley section, Sierra Valley section.

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 systemFoothills fault systemHoney Lake faultWarm Springs Valley faultTahoe-Sierra frontal faultBonham Ranch faultWest Tahoe-Dollar Point faultUpper Long Valley faultDry Valley-Smoke Creek Ranch faultEast Carson Valley faultAlmanor faultMount Rose faultDog Valley faultPolaris faultNorth Tahoe faultSpanish Springs Valley faultIncline Village faultFort Sage faultLittle Valley faultCarson City faultKings Canyon faultPeavine Peak faultIndian Valley faultTerraced Hills fault M 6.2 · 1888 · South of Cromberg, California M 6.0 · 1855 · Sierra County, California
The Mohawk 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 6.2 South of Cromberg, California
    April 29, 1888 · epicentre 11 km from the trace
  2. M 6.0 Sierra County, California
    January 25, 1855 · epicentre 7 km from the trace
  3. M 4.7 19km NW of Truckee, CA
    May 7, 2021 · epicentre 8 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 3.0 4 km WSW of Johnsville, CA
    2026-06-27 · 9 km from the trace
  2. M 2.9 14 km SW of Loyalton, CA
    2025-06-30 · 7 km from the trace
  3. M 2.9 14 km SW of Loyalton, CA
    2025-06-30 · 7 km from the trace
  4. M 2.6 1 km WNW of C-Road, CA
    2025-06-27 · 1 km from the trace
  5. M 2.5 5 km NW of Johnsville, CA
    2024-12-06 · 7 km from the trace
  6. M 2.8 0 km SW of Mohawk Vista, CA
    2024-11-01 · 2 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.