QuakeIndex

Fault · California

Wheeler Ridge fault

27 kmlong (17 mi), as mapped
not measuredhow fast it slips
< 15,000 yearssince it last broke the surface
128quakes 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 7.5 in 1952 (The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake) — about 5,600,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 2.7 megatons 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 faultGarlock faultSouthern Sierra Nevada faultSanta Ynez faultKern Canyon faultSan Gabriel faultSierra Madre faultPitas Point faultMission Ridge fault systemSan Juan faultOak Ridge faultWhite Wolf faultSan Cayetano faultRed Mountain faultPleito faultNorthridge blind thrustEdison faultBreckenridge faultIsla Vista faultKern Front faultNew Hope fault M 7.5 · 1952 · The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake
The Wheeler Ridge fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 128 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 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake
    July 21, 1952 · epicentre 6 km from the trace
  2. M 5.2 24 km SW of Lamont, CA
    August 7, 2024 · epicentre 10 km from the trace
  3. M 4.4 22 km NW of Grapevine, CA
    August 8, 2024 · epicentre 8 km from the trace
  4. M 4.1 22 km SW of Lamont, CA
    August 7, 2024 · 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 20 km N of Pine Mountain Club, CA
    2026-05-22 · 2 km from the trace
  2. M 3.0 22 km NW of Grapevine, CA
    2026-04-23 · 6 km from the trace
  3. M 3.0 14 km NNW of Grapevine, CA
    2026-01-12 · 3 km from the trace
  4. M 2.8 22 km NW of Grapevine, CA
    2025-08-15 · 7 km from the trace
  5. M 2.9 19 km NNW of Grapevine, CA
    2025-07-26 · 7 km from the trace
  6. M 3.8 15 km NW of Grapevine, CA
    2025-05-19 · 2 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.