QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Pinto Mountain fault (includes Morongo Valley fault)

82 kmlong (51 mi), as mapped
1–5 mm/yrhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
49quakes 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.

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 faultNorth Frontal thrust systemJohnson Valley faultLavic Lake faultMesquite Lake faultSan Gorgonio Pass faultBullion Mountains faultMecca Hills faultHomestead Valley faultHidden Spring faultIndio Hills Fault ZoneBurnt Mountain faultCrafton Hills faultCoachella Fan Fault ZoneBanning faultEureka Peak faultLong Canyon faultSkeleton Canyon faultHot Springs faultOld Woman Springs faultBeaumont Plain fault M 6.0 · 1948 · The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake
The Pinto Mountain fault (includes Morongo Valley fault) as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 49 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 18 km from the trace
  2. M 4.5 11km N of Cabazon, CA
    May 8, 2018 · epicentre 6 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 13 km N of Cabazon, CA
    2026-04-29 · 7 km from the trace
  2. M 3.4 10 km NNE of Cabazon, CA
    2026-04-26 · 6 km from the trace
  3. M 2.9 10 km NNE of Cabazon, CA
    2025-12-24 · 6 km from the trace
  4. M 3.0 8 km SW of Morongo Valley, CA
    2025-08-09 · 4 km from the trace
  5. M 3.3 18 km N of Cabazon, CA
    2025-02-22 · 5 km from the trace
  6. M 2.7 16 km N of Cabazon, CA
    2025-01-20 · 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.