QuakeIndex

Fault · California

San Andreas fault

1,082 kmlong (672 mi), as mapped
> 5 mm/yrhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
1,137quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

The two sides grind past each other faster than 5 mm a year — more than half a metre (20 inches) every century.

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

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 7.9 in 1857 (The 1857 Fort Tejon, California Earthquake) — about 25,000,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 12 megatons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 12 sections: Cholame-Carrizo section, Coachella section, Creeping section, King Range section, Mojave section, North Coast section, Parkfield section, Peninsula section….

This week vs. its last ten years

13/100

quiet

8 quakes of M1.5+ within 5 km of the trace in the last 7 days — busier than 13% of weeks since 2016. A normal week: 9–15.

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

Cascadia megathrustCascadia fold and fault beltGreat Valley thrust fault systemWasatch faultElsinore faultSan Gregorio faultGarlock faultSevier/Toroweap faultSan Jacinto faultHurricane faultNewport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon faultFoothills fault systemSouthern Sierra Nevada faultSteens faultSan Clemente faultBartlett Springs fault systemMaacama faultCalaveras faultKlamath graben fault systemSanta Ynez faultLenwood-Lockhart faultSanta Rosa Range fault systemOwens Valley faultHelendale-South Lockhart faultKern Canyon faultSan Gabriel faultWarner Valley faultsSierra Madre faultHosgri faultSan Diego Trough faultShoshone Range faultCalico-Hidalgo faultWassuk Range faultPitas Point faultCatalina faultWhite Mountains faultPalos Verdes faultHayward faultDixie Valley faultWestern Humboldt Range faultPanamint Valley faultGreat Salt Lake faultBlanco transform faultMontana Mountains/Desert Valley faultNorthern Death Valley faultFish Lake Valley faultHoney Lake faultPisgah-Bullion faultCamp Rock-Emerson-Copper Mountain faultOak Ridge fault (offshore)Greenville faultHoppin Peaks faultLittle Salmon faultBenton Spring faultSmith Valley faultMonterey Bay- Tularcitos faultZayante-Vergeles faultSurprise Valley faultSky Lakes faultMission Ridge fault systemAlgodones faultPinto Mountain fault (includes Morongo Valley fault)Mad River faultSan Pedro Basin faultMohawk Valley faultAbert Rim faultBuena Vista Valley faultRuby Mountains faultSan Juan faultCarson lineamentRainbow Mountain faultWashington faultOrtigalita faultBlack Mountains faultPleasant Valley faultWarm Springs Valley faultBlack Rock faultCedar Mountain fault systemBrawley Seismic ZoneNorth Frontal thrust systemSanta Cruz Island faultSimpson Park Mountains faultHarper faultMalibu Coast faultSanta Cruz faultBlackwater faultCortez Mountains faultLos Osos faultRock Valley faultDume faultHunter Mountain- Saline Valley faultHat Creek faultMcArthur faultWest Cache faultSoutheast Newberry faultTahoe-Sierra frontal faultWinter Rim fault systemBald Mountain-Big Lagoon faultHunting Creek-Berryessa fault systemOak Ridge faultRodgers Creek faultSkull Valley (mid-valley) faultsBonham Ranch faultSargent faultAsh Hill faultGrass Valley faultWest Tahoe-Dollar Point faultDrum Mountains faultAntelope Valley faultJohnson Valley faultCrescent Dunes faultGranite Springs Valley faultSouthern Death Valley faultStansbury faultPyramid Lake faultThompson Ridge faultUpper Long Valley faultDry Valley-Smoke Creek Ranch faultEast Carson Valley faultWest Spring Mountains faultLittle Lake faultSimi-Santa Rosa faultBig Chino faultHouse Range (west side) faultImperial faultMonte Vista-Shannon faultSnake Valley faultsButano faultDesatoya Mountains faultWhite Wolf faultHot Springs Mountains faultPuente Hills blind thrust systemWest Napa faultCarico Lake Valley faultSan Cayetano faultSan Francisco Mountains (west side) faultTowne Pass faultCricket Mountains (west side) faultEastern Carson Sink faultMid-Channel faultNorthern Monitor Valley faultRed Mountain faultSouthern Snake Range faultAlmanor faultBennett Valley faultLavic Lake faultMesquite Lake faultSan Gorgonio Pass faultSand Springs Range faultSouthern Spring Valley faultBeaver Basin faultsBuffalo Valley faultExtra faultGreen Valley faultHuntoon Valley fault systemMineral Mountains (west side) faultsMount Rose faultPahrump faultPleito faultPreston faultLone Mountain faultAlexander-Redwood Hill faultEmigrant Peak faultPittville faultRound Valley faultBullion Mountains faultManix faultPaulina Marsh faultsSanta Monica faultAirport Lake faultMecca Hills faultEastern Humboldt Range faultNorthridge blind thrustNoyo Basin faultSilver Lake faultCalifornia Wash faultDog Valley faultFairview faultMayfield faultFox Range faultHomestead Valley faultFish Springs faultGolden Gate faultHilton Creek faultPavant faultsPolaris faultSouthern Huntington Valley faultSquaw Hills faultLong Valley faultMonte Cristo Valley faultSan Onofre faultCoquille anticlineSulphur Spring faultWheeler Ridge faultLos Alamos faultNorth Promontory faultPfeiffer Point faultSan Joaquin Hills thrustBelted Range faultCedar City-Parowan monocline (and faults)Cleghorn faultHidden Spring faultHot Springs faultNorth Tahoe faultOwl Lake faultRaymond faultSagouse faultYucca Mountain faults, western groupCarlsbad faultEast Monterey Bay faultGabbs Valley faultGenoa faultQuien Sabe faultSouthern Oquirrh Mountains faultWestern Roberts Mountains faultDeep Springs faultFish Slough faultHartley Springs faultLake City faultMono Lake faultSpanish Springs Valley faultWest Gate faultIndio Hills Fault ZoneKonocti Bay faultTuscarora faultBurnt Mountain faultCrafton Hills faultEdison faultOquirrh faultPiedras Blancas blind faultTybo Well faultVerdugo faultConcord faultCurlew Valley faultsIncline Village faultLittle Valley faultsCoachella Fan Fault ZoneMt. General faultPleasanton faultRobinson Creek faultSan Simeon faultBanning faultCordelia faultEastgate faultEureka Peak faultKumiva Valley faultOlinghouse faultRocky Ledge faultEnoch graben faultsFort Sage faultLittle Valley faultMaple Grove faultsBig Valley faultCarslbad Ridge faultCarson City faultCrater Bench faultsCrescent Valley faultsGerlach faultKings Canyon faultParowan Valley faultsPeavine Peak faultRed Pass faultSeligman faultWest Dry Lake faultWest Walker River faultYuha Well Fault ZoneButte Valley faultIndian Head faultIndian Valley faultLong Canyon faultMattole Canyon faultRattlesnake Flat faultSerra faultTres Pinos faultCorral Hollow-Carnegie faultHollywood faultLas Positas faultLouderback Mountains faultPavant Range faultSkeleton Canyon faultHansel Valley faultHot Springs faultNorthern Simpson Park Mountains faultScipio faultTerraced Hills faultVentura faultCentral Monitor Valley faultNorthern Virginia Range faultOld Woman Springs faultRed Hill-Etiwanda Avenue faultTank Canyon faultYuha Basin faultsBeaumont Plain faultBreckenridge faultIsla Vista faultMcAfee Canyon faultEugene Mountains faultKern Front faultNew Hope fault M 7.9 · 1857 · The 1857 Fort Tejon, California Earthquake M 7.9 · 1906 · The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake M 7.5 · 1812 · Northwest of San Bernardino, California M 7.5 · 1952 · The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake M 7.4 · 1838 · The 1838 San Andreas Fault, California Earthquake M 6.7 · 1898 · South of Mendocino, California
The San Andreas fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 400 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 7.9 The 1857 Fort Tejon, California Earthquake
    January 9, 1857 · epicentre 1 km from the trace
  2. M 7.9 The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake
    April 18, 1906 · epicentre 1 km from the trace
  3. M 7.5 Northwest of San Bernardino, California
    December 8, 1812 · epicentre 1 km from the trace
  4. M 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake
    July 21, 1952 · epicentre 15 km from the trace
  5. M 7.4 The 1838 San Andreas Fault, California Earthquake
    June 25, 1838 · epicentre on the trace
  6. M 6.7 South of Mendocino, California
    April 15, 1898 · epicentre 2 km from the trace
  7. M 5.6 6km SSW of Petrolia, CA
    June 23, 2019 · epicentre 9 km from the trace
  8. M 4.7 17km SSE of Tres Pinos, CA
    October 15, 2019 · 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 2 km NW of Hollister, CA
    2026-09-23 · 8 km from the trace
  2. M 2.6 2 km ENE of Aromas, CA
    2026-09-17 · 1 km from the trace
  3. M 2.6 15 km SE of Petrolia, CA
    2026-09-03 · 8 km from the trace
  4. M 2.8 4 km NW of Parkfield, CA
    2026-08-23 · 0 km from the trace
  5. M 2.6 5 km S of Petrolia, CA
    2026-08-14 · 10 km from the trace
  6. M 2.7 5 km NW of Pinnacles, CA
    2026-08-11 · 0 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.