What is a "Quaternary" fault?

A Quaternary fault is one that has been recognized at the surface and that has moved in the past 1,600,000 years (1.6 million years). That places fault movement within the Quaternary Period, which covers the last 2.6 million years.

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Why are there so many faults in the Quaternary Faults Database with the same name?

Many faults are mapped as individual segments across an area. These fault segments are given a different value for name, number, code, or dip direction and so in the database each segment occurs as its own unique entity. For example, the San Andreas Fault has several fault segments, from letters a to h, and fault segment 1h has segments with age...

Why are there no faults in the Great Valley of central California?

The Great Valley is a basin, initially forming ~100 million years ago as a low area between the subducting ocean plate on the west (diving down under the North American plate) and the volcanoes to the east (now the Sierra Nevada mountains). Since its formation, the Great Valley has continued to be low in elevation. Starting about 20 million years...

Why are there so many earthquakes and faults in the Western United States?

This region of the United States has been tectonically active since the supercontinent Pangea broke up roughly 200 million years ago, and in large part because it is close to the western boundary of the North American plate. Since the formation of the San Andreas Fault system 25-30 million years ago, the juxtaposition of the Pacific and North...

Where can I find a fault map of the United States? Is one available in GIS format?

An online map of United States Quaternary faults (faults that have been active in the last 1.6 million years) is available via the Quaternary Fault and Fold Database . There is an interactive map application to view the faults online and a separate database search function. KML (Google Earth-type) files and GIS shape files are also available for...

How do I find the nearest fault to a property or specific location?

If you are looking for faults in California use: How Close to a Fault Do You Live? (Bay Area Earthquake Alliance) For faults in California and the rest of the United States (as well as the latest earthquakes) use the Latest Earthquakes Map : click on the "gear" icon in the upper-right corner scroll down to Map Layers, and turn on U.S. Faults mouse...

How do I find fault or hazard maps for California?

An online map of faults that includes California is in the Faults section of the Earthquake Hazards Program website. Choose the Interactive Fault Map, or download KML files and GIS shapefiles from the links on the page. USGS seismic hazard maps, data, and tools for California and other parts of the United States are in the Hazards section of the...

What is a fault and what are the different types?


What is the relationship between faults and earthquakes? What happens to a fault when an earthquake occurs?

Earthquakes occur on faults - strike-slip earthquakes occur on strike-slip faults, normal earthquakes occur on normal faults , and thrust earthquakes occur on thrust or reverse faults. When an earthquake occurs on one of these faults, the rock on one side of the fault slips with respect to the other. The fault surface can be vertical, horizontal,...
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Date published: March 27, 2014



Date published: March 9, 2006

A Virtual Tour of the Hayward Fault

The U.S. Geological Survey has a new website that offers a virtual tour of the Hayward fault.

Date published: June 7, 2004

USGS Releases Quaternary Fault Database for the Nation

What are the faults in my state and where are they? When did they last have an earthquake? Now you can find out the answer to these questions online through a user-friendly interface developed by the USGS.

Date published: December 4, 2003

Cat Scan'-Like Seismic Study of Earthquake Zone Helps Set Stage for Fault Drilling Project

In a first of its kind study U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Duke University seismologists have used tiny "microearthquakes" along a section of California’s notorious San Andreas Fault to create unique images of the contorted geology scientists will face as they continue drilling deeper into the fault zone to construct a major earthquake "observatory.

Date published: November 7, 2002

Alaska Interior Reveals Scars and Ruptures from 7.9 Denali Fault Quake

Sunday’s magnitude 7.9 earthquake in central Alaska created a scar across the landscape for more than 145 miles, according to surveys conducted the past two days by geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey.

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Shaded relief image of the Santa Rosa area showing active faults
April 14, 2016

Santa Rosa area showing active faults

Shaded relief image of the Santa Rosa area showing active faults (black lines) and the detailed rupture pattern of the Rodgers Creek Fault where it crosses central Santa Rosa (in red). The orange, bean-shaped area represents the dense, magnetic body of rock on the east side of the fault beneath Santa Rosa. This body of rock may be largely responsible for the pattern of

Image: USGS Geologists Inspecting Fault Trace in a Trench
May 26, 2015

USGS Geologists Inspecting Fault Trace in a Trench

View of geologists pointing to fault in a trench dug across one of the ruptures from the 2014 South Napa earthquake. From front to rear: Alexandra Pickering, Suzanne Hecker, Aaron Page (all USGS). Trench located approximately 3 miles NW of downtown Napa, CA.

Exposed faults
September 10, 2011

Exposed faults

Two faults (located on either side of project geologist Chris Fridrich) cutting Pleistocene fluvial gravels on the northern edge of the Poncha mountain block. These and other young faults exposed in area help reveal the latest kinematic (movement) and paleostress histories of the mountain block.

Image: Denali Fault: Canwell Glacier
November 9, 2002

Denali Fault: Canwell Glacier

Peter Haeussler prepares to measure the offset of a crevasse on the Canwell Glacier.

Image: Totschunda Fault
November 5, 2002

Totschunda Fault

View southeast along the Totschunda fault.

Image shows an aerial view of the San Andreas Fault
November 30, 2000

San-Andreas Fault

Aerial photo of the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain. By Ikluft - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3106006

 location of and evidence for recent movement on active fault traces within the Hayward Fault Zone, California

Traces of the Hayward Fault, California

The purpose of this map is to show the location of and evidence for recent movement on active fault traces within the Hayward Fault Zone, California.  The mapped traces represent the integration of the following three different types of data: (1) geomorphic expression, (2) creep (aseismic fault slip),and (3) trench exposures. 

Attribution: Natural Hazards
Map of known active geologic faults in the San Francisco Bay region

Map of known active geologic faults in the San Francisco Bay region

Map of known active geologic faults in the San Francisco Bay region, California, including the Hayward Fault.  The 72 percent probability of a magnitude (M) 6.7 or greater earthquake in the region includes well-known major plate-boundary faults, lesser-known faults, and unknown faults.  The percentage shown within each colored circle is the probability that a M 6.7 or

Quaternary and Tertiary sediments seen in exposure along Niobrara River

Quaternary and Tertiary sediments seen in exposure along Niobrara Rive

Dark organic-rich beds at top of exposure in fine-grained Quaternary colluvium (?) probably are associated with grade of the fluvial system that was several meters higher than present. Most of the exposure is of underlying Tertiary sediments. Geologic mapping and geochronology of Quaternary terraces will provide constraints on the downcutting history of the Niobrara River