QuakeIndex

Fault · California

San Pedro Basin fault

80 kmlong (50 mi), as mapped
1–5 mm/yrhow fast it slips
< 130,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
36quakes 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 130,000 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.0 in 1827 (Channel Islands region, California) — 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 faultSan Clemente faultHelendale-South Lockhart faultSan Gabriel faultSierra Madre faultSan Diego Trough faultPitas Point faultCatalina faultPalos Verdes faultOak Ridge fault (offshore)Santa Cruz Island faultMalibu Coast faultSanta Cruz faultDume faultOak Ridge faultSimi-Santa Rosa faultPuente Hills blind thrust systemRed Mountain faultSanta Monica faultNorthridge blind thrustSan Onofre faultSan Joaquin Hills thrustRaymond faultVerdugo faultCarslbad Ridge faultHollywood faultVentura fault M 6.0 · 1827 · Channel Islands region, California
The San Pedro Basin fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 36 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 Channel Islands region, California
    September 24, 1827 · epicentre 20 km from the trace
  2. M 4.2 16km S of Malibu Beach, CA
    January 25, 2023 · epicentre on the trace
  3. M 4.1 18 km S of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
    January 1, 2024 · epicentre 5 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 27 km SSE of Malibu, CA
    2026-09-13 · 8 km from the trace
  2. M 3.2 13 km NNE of Avalon, CA
    2026-07-06 · 0 km from the trace
  3. M 2.9 8 km S of Malibu Beach, CA
    2026-05-26 · 8 km from the trace
  4. M 3.4 14 km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
    2026-02-23 · 3 km from the trace
  5. M 2.8 6 km W of Malibu, CA
    2026-02-17 · 10 km from the trace
  6. M 3.0 22 km S of San Pedro, CA
    2025-07-22 · 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.