QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Upper Long Valley fault

49 kmlong (30 mi), as mapped
not measuredhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
14quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

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

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.3 in 1857 (California-Nevada Border east of Truckee) — about 89,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 43 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 faultGreat Valley thrust fault systemFoothills fault systemHoney Lake faultSmith Valley faultMohawk Valley faultCarson lineamentWarm Springs Valley faultTahoe-Sierra frontal faultBonham Ranch faultWest Tahoe-Dollar Point faultPyramid Lake faultDry Valley-Smoke Creek Ranch faultEast Carson Valley faultMount Rose faultDog Valley faultPolaris faultNorth Tahoe faultSpanish Springs Valley faultIncline Village faultOlinghouse faultFort Sage faultLittle Valley faultCarson City faultKings Canyon faultPeavine Peak faultIndian Valley faultTerraced Hills faultNorthern Virginia Range fault M 6.3 · 1857 · California-Nevada Border east of Truckee M 6.0 · 1855 · Sierra County, California M 6.0 · 1914 · Near Reno, Nevada M 6.0 · 1948 · 6 km WNW of Verdi, California
The Upper Long Valley fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 14 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 6.3 California-Nevada Border east of Truckee
    September 3, 1857 · epicentre 21 km from the trace
  2. M 6.0 Sierra County, California
    January 25, 1855 · epicentre 23 km from the trace
  3. M 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada
    February 18, 1914 · epicentre 18 km from the trace
  4. M 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California
    December 29, 1948 · 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 3 km NW of Cold Springs, NV
    2025-09-14 · 3 km from the trace
  2. M 2.5 6 km S of Cold Springs, Nevada
    2023-06-22 · 4 km from the trace
  3. M 2.8 6 km S of Cold Springs, Nevada
    2023-06-21 · 4 km from the trace
  4. M 2.6 7 km S of Cold Springs, Nevada
    2023-06-07 · 4 km from the trace
  5. M 2.9 7 km S of Cold Springs, Nevada
    2023-06-04 · 4 km from the trace
  6. M 2.5 6 km S of Cold Springs, Nevada
    2023-06-02 · 4 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.