QuakeIndex

Fault · California, Nevada

White Mountains fault

109 kmlong (68 mi), as mapped
0.2–1 mm/yrhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
40quakes 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.

It has broken the ground surface within the last 150 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 6.8 in 1872 (Owens Valley, California) — about 500,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 240 kilotons of TNT.

USGS maps it as 4 sections: Hammil section, Inyo-Waucoba section, Montgomery section, central 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 faultSouthern Sierra Nevada faultOwens Valley faultKern Canyon faultWassuk Range faultNorthern Death Valley faultFish Lake Valley faultBenton Spring faultHunter Mountain- Saline Valley faultHuntoon Valley fault systemLone Mountain faultEmigrant Peak faultRound Valley faultSilver Lake faultHilton Creek faultLong Valley faultDeep Springs faultFish Slough faultHartley Springs faultMono Lake faultRattlesnake Flat faultMcAfee Canyon fault M 6.8 · 1872 · Owens Valley, California M 6.8 · 1872 · Near Round Valley, California M 6.3 · 1872 · Owens Valley, California
The White Mountains fault as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 40 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 6.8 Owens Valley, California
    March 26, 1872 · epicentre 16 km from the trace
  2. M 6.8 Near Round Valley, California
    April 11, 1872 · epicentre 20 km from the trace
  3. M 6.3 Owens Valley, California
    April 3, 1872 · 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 2.9 40 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
    2025-09-11 · 6 km from the trace
  2. M 2.7 8 km E of Big Pine, CA
    2025-04-17 · 8 km from the trace
  3. M 3.0 42 km NNE of Toms Place, CA
    2025-02-11 · 6 km from the trace
  4. M 3.1 44km NNE of Toms Place, CA
    2022-07-19 · 4 km from the trace
  5. M 2.6 43km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
    2022-06-07 · 4 km from the trace
  6. M 2.6 40km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
    2022-05-20 · 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.