Fault · Nevada, Oregon
Warner Valley faults
In plain English
The two sides move less than 0.2 mm a year — under 2 cm a century. Slow faults can still produce large earthquakes, just rarely.
Its most recent surface rupture is younger than 15,000 years.
The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 4.1 in 2016 (45 km E of Fort Bidwell, California) — about 45 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 21 tons of TNT.
USGS maps it as 3 sections: Coleman Valley section, East Warner Valley section, West Warner Valley 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
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
- M 4.1 45 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
January 3, 2016 · epicentre 6 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
- M 2.7 51 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
2025-12-26 · 10 km from the trace - M 2.9 47 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
2025-11-29 · 5 km from the trace - M 3.2 45 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
2025-07-18 · 4 km from the trace - M 3.2 44 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
2025-07-01 · 3 km from the trace - M 2.5 44 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
2025-06-28 · 3 km from the trace - M 2.8 44 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
2025-06-28 · 2 km from the trace
Neighbouring faults
- Surprise Valley fault 18 km away
- Abert Rim fault 27 km away
- Lake City fault 28 km away
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.