QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Round Valley fault

36 kmlong (22 mi), as mapped
1–5 mm/yrhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
127quakes 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 6.8 in 1872 (Near Round Valley, California) — about 500,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 240 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 faultSouthern Sierra Nevada faultOwens Valley faultWhite Mountains faultFish Lake Valley faultHunter Mountain- Saline Valley faultHuntoon Valley fault systemEmigrant Peak faultSilver Lake faultHilton Creek faultLong Valley faultDeep Springs faultFish Slough faultHartley Springs faultMono Lake faultMcAfee Canyon fault M 6.8 · 1872 · Near Round Valley, California M 6.0 · 1889 · Southwest of Bishop, California M 6.0 · 1910 · Near Bishop, California M 6.0 · 1941 · Mammoth Lakes area, California M 6.0 · 1941 · Mammoth Lakes area, California
The Round Valley fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 127 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 6.8 Near Round Valley, California
    April 11, 1872 · epicentre 14 km from the trace
  2. M 6.0 Southwest of Bishop, California
    September 30, 1889 · epicentre 9 km from the trace
  3. M 6.0 Near Bishop, California
    May 6, 1910 · epicentre 19 km from the trace
  4. M 6.0 Mammoth Lakes area, California
    September 14, 1941 · epicentre 3 km from the trace
  5. M 6.0 Mammoth Lakes area, California
    September 14, 1941 · epicentre 3 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 11 km SW of Round Valley, CA
    2026-08-18 · 7 km from the trace
  2. M 2.9 7 km WNW of Round Valley, CA
    2026-05-27 · 7 km from the trace
  3. M 2.6 14 km WSW of Toms Place, CA
    2026-04-20 · 10 km from the trace
  4. M 2.9 14 km SW of Toms Place, CA
    2025-07-02 · 10 km from the trace
  5. M 2.7 14 km WSW of Toms Place, CA
    2025-07-02 · 9 km from the trace
  6. M 2.9 14 km W of Toms Place, CA
    2025-06-11 · 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.