QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Southern Sierra Nevada fault

203 kmlong (126 mi), as mapped
0.2–1 mm/yrhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
114quakes 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.

Its most recent surface rupture is younger than 15,000 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 7.4 in 1872 (The 1872 Owens Valley, California Earthquake) — about 4,000,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 1.9 megatons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 2 sections: Haiwee Reservoir section, Independence section.

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 faultGarlock faultSanta Ynez faultLenwood-Lockhart faultOwens Valley faultHelendale-South Lockhart faultKern Canyon faultSan Gabriel faultWhite Mountains faultNorthern Death Valley faultFish Lake Valley faultHarper faultBlackwater faultHunter Mountain- Saline Valley faultAsh Hill faultLittle Lake faultWhite Wolf faultTowne Pass faultHuntoon Valley fault systemPleito faultLone Mountain faultEmigrant Peak faultRound Valley faultAirport Lake faultHilton Creek faultLong Valley faultWheeler Ridge faultDeep Springs faultFish Slough faultHartley Springs faultEdison faultTank Canyon faultBreckenridge faultMcAfee Canyon faultKern Front fault M 7.4 · 1872 · The 1872 Owens Valley, California Earthquake M 6.8 · 1872 · Owens Valley, California M 6.3 · 1872 · Owens Valley, California M 6.3 · 1896 · Near Independence, California M 6.3 · 1946 · The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake M 6.0 · 1910 · Near Bishop, California
The Southern Sierra Nevada fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 114 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 7.4 The 1872 Owens Valley, California Earthquake
    March 26, 1872 · epicentre 13 km from the trace
  2. M 6.8 Owens Valley, California
    March 26, 1872 · epicentre 7 km from the trace
  3. M 6.3 Owens Valley, California
    April 3, 1872 · epicentre 11 km from the trace
  4. M 6.3 Near Independence, California
    August 17, 1896 · epicentre 4 km from the trace
  5. M 6.3 The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake
    March 15, 1946 · epicentre 5 km from the trace
  6. M 6.0 Near Bishop, California
    May 6, 1910 · epicentre 16 km from the trace
  7. M 4.8 8 km S of Wilkerson, California
    February 16, 2016 · epicentre 5 km from the trace
  8. M 4.3 9km NNE of Little Lake, CA
    July 6, 2019 · epicentre 10 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 2.7 9 km E of Wilkerson, CA
    2026-08-01 · 9 km from the trace
  2. M 3.0 8 km SSE of Olancha, CA
    2026-04-20 · 8 km from the trace
  3. M 2.5 5 km N of Little Lake, CA
    2026-02-13 · 5 km from the trace
  4. M 3.0 12 km S of Olancha, CA
    2026-02-12 · 9 km from the trace
  5. M 3.0 7 km NE of Coso Junction, CA
    2026-01-17 · 9 km from the trace
  6. M 2.6 3 km SE of Wilkerson, CA
    2025-12-22 · 7 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.