QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Puente Hills blind thrust system

43 kmlong (27 mi), as mapped
0.2–1 mm/yrhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
52quakes 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.

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

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.0 in 1769 (Greater Los Angeles area, California) — about 32,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 15 kilotons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 3 sections: Coyote Hills section, Los Angeles section, Santa Fe Springs section.

A blind thrust does not reach the surface; the line on the map is the USGS's projection of it, not a crack you can stand on.

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 faultSan Clemente faultSanta Ynez faultLenwood-Lockhart faultHelendale-South Lockhart faultSan Gabriel faultSierra Madre faultSan Diego Trough faultCatalina faultPalos Verdes faultSan Pedro Basin faultNorth Frontal thrust systemMalibu Coast faultSanta Cruz faultDume faultOak Ridge faultSimi-Santa Rosa faultSan Cayetano faultSanta Monica faultNorthridge blind thrustSan Onofre faultSan Joaquin Hills thrustCleghorn faultRaymond faultCrafton Hills faultVerdugo faultHollywood faultRed Hill-Etiwanda Avenue fault M 6.0 · 1769 · Greater Los Angeles area, California M 6.0 · 1855 · Near San Gabriel, California
The Puente Hills blind thrust system as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 52 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 Greater Los Angeles area, California
    July 28, 1769 · epicentre 6 km from the trace
  2. M 6.0 Near San Gabriel, California
    July 11, 1855 · epicentre 15 km from the trace
  3. M 4.5 3km WSW of South El Monte, CA
    September 19, 2020 · epicentre 9 km from the trace
  4. M 4.0 2km E of Lennox, CA
    April 5, 2021 · epicentre 9 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 2.9 4 km SSE of Compton, CA
    2026-09-17 · 7 km from the trace
  2. M 2.6 4 km E of Lennox, CA
    2026-09-12 · 8 km from the trace
  3. M 2.6 5 km WNW of Willowbrook, CA
    2026-09-12 · 8 km from the trace
  4. M 3.1 4 km SSE of Compton, CA
    2026-09-06 · 7 km from the trace
  5. M 2.5 3 km N of Gardena, CA
    2026-08-03 · 10 km from the trace
  6. M 2.9 1 km WNW of Lennox, CA
    2024-09-23 · 10 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.