QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Owens Valley fault

136 kmlong (85 mi), as mapped
1–5 mm/yrhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
140quakes 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 7.4 in 1872 (The 1872 Owens Valley, California Earthquake) — about 4,000,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 1.9 megatons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 2 sections: 1872 rupture section, Keough Hot Springs 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: 0–1.

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

San Andreas faultSouthern Sierra Nevada faultKern Canyon faultWhite Mountains faultNorthern Death Valley faultFish Lake Valley faultHunter Mountain- Saline Valley faultAsh Hill faultLittle Lake faultTowne Pass faultEmigrant Peak faultRound Valley faultHilton Creek faultLong Valley faultDeep Springs faultFish Slough faultMcAfee Canyon fault M 7.4 · 1872 · The 1872 Owens Valley, California Earthquake M 6.8 · 1872 · Owens Valley, California M 6.8 · 1872 · Near Round Valley, California M 6.3 · 1896 · Near Independence, California M 6.0 · 1910 · Near Bishop, California
The Owens Valley fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 140 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 7.4 The 1872 Owens Valley, California Earthquake
    March 26, 1872 · epicentre on the trace
  2. M 6.8 Owens Valley, California
    March 26, 1872 · epicentre 20 km from the trace
  3. M 6.8 Near Round Valley, California
    April 11, 1872 · epicentre 20 km from the trace
  4. M 6.3 Near Independence, California
    August 17, 1896 · epicentre 18 km from the trace
  5. M 6.0 Near Bishop, California
    May 6, 1910 · epicentre 2 km from the trace
  6. M 5.8 18km SSE of Lone Pine, CA
    June 24, 2020 · epicentre 3 km from the trace
  7. M 4.7 17km SSE of Lone Pine, CA
    June 23, 2020 · epicentre 4 km from the trace
  8. M 4.6 19km SE of Lone Pine, CA
    June 24, 2020 · epicentre on 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 17 km SE of Lone Pine, CA
    2026-06-07 · 1 km from the trace
  2. M 2.5 2 km SW of West Bishop, CA
    2026-02-17 · 7 km from the trace
  3. M 2.6 3 km SE of Wilkerson, CA
    2025-12-22 · 8 km from the trace
  4. M 2.9 1 km N of West Bishop, CA
    2025-05-28 · 7 km from the trace
  5. M 3.0 2 km ENE of Lone Pine, CA
    2024-12-05 · 2 km from the trace
  6. M 3.0 7 km E of Bishop, CA
    2024-08-01 · 6 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.