List of fault zones
This list covers all faults and fault-systems that are either geologically important or connected to prominent seismic activity. It is not intended to list every notable fault, but only major fault zones.
Fault Name | Length [km] | Location | Sense of Movement | Time of movement | Associated Earthquakes | Sources | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aedipsos-Kandili Fault | 60 | North Euboean Gulf, Greece | Normal | Active | |||
Alaska-Aleutian Megathrust | >4000 | Kamchatka, Russia to Gulf of Alaska | Subduction zone | Active | 1964 Prince William Sound (M9.2), 1965 Rat Islands (M8.7), 1957 Andreanof Islands (M8.6) | [1] | |
Alpine Fault | 1400 | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 2009 Fiordland (M7.8) | ||
Altyn Tagh Fault | 2000 | Tibetan Plateau/Tarim Basin | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | [2] | ||
60 | Western Greece | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | ||||
>100 | Greece, South Aegean Sea | Normal | Active | 1956 Amorgos (M7.4)[3] | |||
Arkitsa – Agios Konstantinos Fault zone | 25 | Central Greece | Normal | ||||
Aspy Fault | 40 | Nova Scotia | Strike-slip | ||||
Atacama Fault | 800 | Atacama desert, Chile | Strike-slip | Active | |||
50 | Central Greece | Normal Fault | Active | 1894 Atalanti (M6.4, M6.9) | |||
Japan | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1858 Hietsu earthquake (M~7) | ||||
Awatere Fault | 200 | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1848 Marlborough (M7.5) | ||
Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault | 2250 | Azores to Strait of Gibraltar | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1755 Lisbon earthquake (est. M7.5–8.0), 1969 Cape St. Vincent (M7.9), 1941 Gloria Fault (M8.0) | ||
Baikal Rift Zone | Lake Baikal | Rift zone | Active | ||||
Balcones Fault | Texas, United States | Normal | Inactive | the subsidence of the Texas Coastal Plain during the Neogene period | |||
Ballenas Fault | Gulf of California, United States | Transform | Active | ||||
Brothers Fault Zone | Oregon, United States | ||||||
Bulnay Fault | 370 | Mongolia | Sinistral | Active | 1905 Bolnai (M8.3) | ||
Calaveras Fault | 120 | San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States | Dextral | Active | 1911 Morgan Hill (M6.5), 1984 Morgan Hill (M6.2) | ||
Cascadia megathrust | 1000 | West coast of United States – Oregon & Washington Vancouver Island, Canada | Subduction zone | Active | 1700 Cascadia (M9.0) | ||
Central African Shear Zone | 4000 | Central Africa | Rift zone | ||||
Cerro Prieto Fault | Gulf of California, United States | Transform | Active | ||||
Chino Fault | California, United States | Dextral | Active | ||||
Chixoy-Polochic Fault | Guatemala | Transform | Active | 1816 Guatemala (M7.5)[4] | |||
Christchurch Fault | South Island, New Zealand | Active | |||||
Chile subduction megathrust | 3000 | West coast of Chile | Subduction zone | Active | 1960 Valdivia (M9.5); 1906 Valparaiso (M8.2); 2010 Maule (M8.8); 2014 Iquique (M8.2) | ||
Clarence Fault | 210 | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | |||
Clarendon-Linden fault system | New York, United States | ||||||
Clayton-Marsh Creek-Greenville Fault | California, United States | ||||||
Cochabamba Fault Zone | Bolivia | Sinistral strike-slip | |||||
Concord Fault | 18 | California, United States | Dextral | Active | |||
Corinth Rift | 110 | Greece | Normal Fault | Active | 1995 Aegion (M6.2); 1981 Alkyonides; 1861 Helike; 373 BC Helike | ||
Craven Fault System | Pennines | Normal Fault | Carboniferous | ||||
Darling Fault | 950-1500 | Western Australia, Australia | Proterozoic | ||||
Dead Sea Transform | Sinai Peninsula | Sinistral transform | Active | 1138 Aleppo earthquake | |||
25 | Central Greece | Normal to strike-slip | |||||
Denali Fault | >500 | British Columbia, Canada to Alaska, United States | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 2002 Denali (M7.9) | ||
East Anatolian Fault | Turkey | Strike-slip | Active | 2003 Bingöl (M6.4), 2010 Elâzığ (M6.1), 2020 Elâzığ (M6.7) | |||
Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone | Alabama to Virginia, United States | Active | 2003 Alabama (M4.6) | ||||
Elsinore Fault Zone | 180 | California, United States | Dextral strike-slip | Active | |||
Eltanin Fault System | Southern Ocean | Dextral transform | Active | 1600 km offset | |||
Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone | Hispaniola | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | 2010 Haiti (M7.0), 2021 Haiti (M7.2) | |||
Flores Back-arc Thrust | Java and Banda Sea, Indonesia | Thrust | Active | July-August 2018 Lombok (M6.4-6.9) | |||
Garlock Fault | 250 | California, United States | Sinistral | Active | |||
Glarus thrust | Switzerland | Thrust fault | Cenozoic | ||||
Great Glen Fault | Scotland | Strike-slip | Silurian to Cenozoic | ||||
Great Lakes Tectonic Zone (GLTZ) | 1,400 | Great Lakes, United States | Tectonic zone | Neoarchean | |||
Great Sumatran Fault | 1650-1900 | Sumatra, Indonesia | Strike-slip | Active | 1943 Alahan Panjang (M7.2), 1994 Liwa (M7.0) | ||
Greendale Fault | >20 | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 2010 Canterbury (M7.1) | ||
Guaymas Fault | 325 | California, United States | Dextral strike-slip | Active | |||
Gulf of California Rift Zone | 1300 | Mexico | Rift zone | Active | 2010 Mexicali (M7.2) | ||
Haiyuan Fault | 1000 | Tibet, China | Sinistral | Active | 1920, 1927 | ||
Hayward Fault Zone | 119 | San Francisco Bay, California, United States | Strike-slip | Active | 1868 Hayward (M6.3–6.7) | ||
Hellenic Arc | 1000 | East Mediterranean Sea | Thrust/Strike-slip | 365 AD (M8.5+); 1303 AD (~8) | |||
Honey Lake Fault Zone | Nevada and California, United States | Dextral strike-slip | Active | ||||
Hope Fault | 130 | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1888 North Canterbury (M7.3), | ||
Humboldt Fault Zone | Nebraska to Kansas, United States | Normal fault | Active | 1867 Manhattan, Kansas (M5.1) | |||
Hurricane Fault | 250 | Utah to Arizona, United States | Normal | 1992 Utah (M5.9) | |||
Imperial Fault Zone | California, United States | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1940 El Centro (M6.9), 1979 Imperial Valley (M6.4) | |||
40 | Crete | Normal fault | |||||
Independence Valley fault system | Nevada, United States | Normal fault | Active | 2008 Wells earthquake (M6.0) | |||
Japan Trench | 1,400 | Off the coast of Honshu | Subduction zone | Active | see Seismicity of the Sanriku coast | ||
Kabaw Fault | >300 | Myanmar | Oblique-thrust | Active | 1792 Rakhine (M8.8) | ||
>60 | Greece, South Aegean Sea | Dextral (?) Strike-slip | |||||
Kandi Fault Zone | West Africa | ||||||
Karakoram Fault | >1000 | Tibet | Oblique-slip | ||||
Karsdorf Fault | Germany | ||||||
180 | Greece, Ionian Sea | Dextral strike Slip | Active | 1953 Kephalonia (M7.2) | |||
Japan | Active | 2005 Fukuoka (M7.0) | |||||
Kekerengu Fault | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral | Active | 2016 - See Hope Fault M7.8 | |||
Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone | >3000 | New Zealand | Subduction zone | Active | |||
Kern Canyon Fault | Sierra Nevada, California, United States | Thrust fault | |||||
Kunlun fault | 1500 | Tibet | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | 2001 Kunlun (M7.8) | ||
Kuril–Kamchatka Trench | 2900 | From the Kuril Islands to the Kamchatka Peninsula | Subduction zone | Active | |||
Kyaukkyan Fault | 500 | Myanmar | Dextral | Active | 1912 Shan state (M7.7) | ||
Laguna Salada Fault | 64–80 | United States and Mexico | Strike-slip | Active | 2010 Mexicali M7.2) | ||
Laptev Sea Rift | Arctic Ocean | Rift zone | |||||
Lewis Overthrust | Montana, United States | Thrust | Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene | ||||
Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault | 1000 | Andes, Chile | Strike-slip | ||||
Long Point–Eureka Heights Fault System | Texas, United States | Normal fault | |||||
Longmen Shan Fault | Sichuan, China | Thrust fault | Active | 2008 Sichuan (M8.0) | |||
Lost River Fault | Idaho, United States | Normal | Active | 1983 Borah Peak (M6.9) | |||
Lusatian Fault | Germany | Thrust fault | |||||
Macquarie Fault Zone | >400 | South Pacific Ocean | Fault (geology)#Strike-slip | Active | 1989 Maquarie Isl. (8.2), 2008 Macquarie Island earthquake (M7.1) | ||
Mae Chan Fault | 120 | Thailand and Laos | Sinstral | Active | 2007 Laos (M6.3) | ||
Magallanes–Fagnano Fault | South America | Transform | |||||
Main Boundary Thrust | >2000 | Himalaya | Thrust | Active (although not uniformly) | |||
Main Central Thrust | 2200 | Himalaya | Thrust | Active (although not uniformly) | 1991 Uttarkashi (M6.8) | ||
Main Frontal Thrust | >2000 | Himalaya | Thrust | Active | 1505 Lo Mustang (M8.9), 1934 Bihar (M8.0) | ||
Main Himalayan Thrust | >2000 | Himalaya | Subduction zone (continental collision) | Active | 1505 Lo Mustang (M8.9), 1950 Assam-Tibet (M8.6) 2015 Gorkha (M7.8), 2015 Nepal (M7.3) | ||
Main Uralian Fault (MUF) | 2000+ | Urals | Subduction zone | ||||
Marianna Fault | Arkansas, United States | ||||||
Marikina Valley Fault System | Philippines | Dextral strike-slip | Active | ||||
Marlborough Fault System | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1843 Wanganui (M~7.5) | |||
Meers Fault | Oklahoma, United States | Oblique slipe | Active | Holocene | |||
Medvednica Fault Zone | Zagreb, Croatia | Strike-slip | Active | 1880 (M6.3), 2020 (M5.3) | |||
Mendocino Fracture Zone | California, United States | Transform | Active | ||||
Moab Fault | Utah, United States | Normal fault | Active | ||||
Mocha Fracture Zone | Mocha Island, Chile | Transform | Active | ||||
Motagua Fault | Guatemala | Transform | Active | 1717, 1773, 1902, 1976, 1980, 2009 | |||
Mount Diablo Thrust | 25 | Contra Costa County, California, United States | Blind thrust | Active | |||
North Greece | Normal to strike-slip | Active | 1978 Thessaloniki (M6.4) | ||||
Nankai Trough | 900 | South of Honshū, Japan | Subduction zone | Active | see Nankai megathrust earthquakes | ||
Neodani Fault | Japan | Active | 1891 Mino–Owari (M8.0) | ||||
New Madrid Fault Zone | Missouri, United States | Normal fault | Active | 1811–1812 three (M7-8) | |||
Nootka Fault | British Columbia, Canada | Transform | Active | ||||
North Aegean Trough | >250 | North Aegean Sea, Greece, Turkey | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1912 (M7.6); 1982 (M6.7); 2014 (M6.9) | ||
North Anatolian Fault | Turkey | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1939 Erzincan (M7.8), 1912 Ganos (M7.4), 1999 Izmit (M7.4), 1999 Düzce (M7.2) | |||
>80 | Central Aegean Sea, Greece | Dextral strike slip | |||||
North Island Fault System | 500 | North Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike slip | Active | |||
Northridge Blind Thrust | San Fernando Valley, United States | Blind thrust | Active | 1994 Northridge (M6.7) | |||
Palu-Koro Fault | 500 | , Indonesia | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | 2005 Bora, Sigi earthquake (M6.2), 2018 Sulawesi earthquake (M7.5) | ||
Periadriatic Seam | 1000 | Alps, Europe | Dextral strike-slip | ||||
Pichilemu Fault | 40 | Chile | Active | 2010 Pichilemu (Libertador O'Higgins) (M6.9) | |||
Piquiang Fault | >70 | China | Sinistral strike-slip | ||||
Pliny Trench | 300 | Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Hellenic Trench | Sinistral strike-slip | ||||
Port Hills Fault | South Island, New Zealand | Active | 2011 Christchurch (M6.3) | ||||
Puente Hills Thrust | 40 | San Gabriel Valley, United States | Blind thrust | Active | 1987 Whittier Narrows (M5.9) | ||
Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault | >800 | Canada and Alaska | Dextral | Active | 1949 Graham Island (M8.1), 1958 Lituya Bay (M7.8), 2012 Haida Gwaii (M7.8) | ||
Pyramid Lake Fault Zone | Nevada, United States | Dextral strike-slip | |||||
Ramapo Fault | 300 | New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, United States | Normal fault | Triassic to Early Jurassic | |||
Rawat Fault | Pakistan | ||||||
Raymond Fault | California, United States | ||||||
Red Sea Rift | Red Sea | Rift zone | |||||
Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault | Andes | ||||||
Rhine Rift Valley | Germany and France | Rift zone | Active | 1356 Basel (M6 to 7) | |||
Rio Grande Rift | Rio Grande Valley, United States and Mexico | Rift zone | |||||
Romeral Fault System | 700 | Colombia | Thrust and strike-slip | Active | 1983 (M5.5), 1999 (M6.2) | ||
Sagami Trough | 340 | Off the coast of Honshū | Subduction zone | Active | see Kantō earthquakes | ||
Sagaing Fault | 1,500 | Myanmar | Dextral | Active | 1839, May 1930, Dec 1930, 1946, 1956, 2012 | ||
(SEMP) | 400[5] | Austria | Sinistral strike-slip | ||||
San Andreas Fault System (Banning fault, Mission Creek fault, South Pass fault, San Jacinto fault, Elsinore fault) | 1300 | California, United States | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1906 San Francisco (M7.7 to 8.25), 1989 Loma Prieta (M6.9) | ||
San Ramón Fault | Chile | Thrust fault | |||||
Sawtooth Fault | Idaho, United States | Normal fault | |||||
Seattle Fault | Washington, United States | Thrust fault | Active | ||||
Septentrional-Orient fault zone | Caribbean | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | 1842 Cap-Haïtien (M8.1), 2020 (M7.7) | |||
Sierra Nevada Fault | California, United States | Normal fault | Active | 1872 Lone Pine (M7.4–8.3) | |||
Skyros-Edremit Fault zone | >150 | Aegean Sea, Greece, Turkey | Dextral Strike-slip | Active | 1967, 1981 | ||
Sobral Fault | Brazil | Strike-slip | |||||
Sorong fault | Oceania | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | 2009 Kepulauan Talaud (M7.2) | |||
South Tibetan Detachment | 2000 | Himalaya | Detachment (normal) | Paleogene | |||
Sparta Fault | 65 | Peloponnese, Greece | Normal fault | Active | 464 BC Sparta (M7.2) | ||
Spili Fault | 20 | Crete, Greece | Normal fault | Active | |||
Strabo Trench | 300 | Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Hellenic Trench | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | |||
Sunda subduction megathrust | 5500 | South East Asia | Subduction zone | Active | 2004 Banda Aceh (M9.1), 2005 Nias (M8.6), 2007 Bengkulu (M8.4) | ||
Tacoma Fault | 56 | Washington, United States | Thrust fault | Active | |||
Japan | Active | 1889 Kumamoto (M6.3) | |||||
Tintina Fault | British Columbia, Canada to Alaska, United States | Strike-slip | Late Cretaceous to Oligocene | ||||
Ulakhan Fault | Siberia to Aleutian Trench | Sinistral strike-slip | Active | ||||
Virginia Seismic Zone | Virginia, United States | Active | 2011 Virginia (M5.8) | ||||
Wabash Valley Seismic Zone | Illinois, Indiana, United States | Normal fault | Active | 2008 Illinois (M5.4) | |||
Wasatch Fault | Utah, United States | Normal fault | Active | 2020 Salt Lake City (M5.7) | |||
Wellington Fault | >100 | North Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | |||
West Napa Fault | 60 | California, United States | Dextral | Active | 2000 Yountville, 2014 South Napa | ||
Wairarapa Fault | >100 | North Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | 1855 Wairarapa (M8.2) | ||
Wairau Fault | 180 | South Island, New Zealand | Dextral strike-slip | Active | |||
White Wolf Fault | San Joaquin Valley, California, United States | Oblique-reverse (sinstral) | Active | 1952 Kern County (M7.5) | |||
Whittier Fault | California, United States | Blind thrust | Active | 2008 Chino Hills (M5.5) | |||
89 | Oklahoma, United States | Strike-slip | Active | 2011 Oklahoma (M5.6) | |||
Yorba Linda Trend | California, United States |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Yeats, R. (2012), Active Faults of the World, Cambridge University Press, p. 23, ISBN 978-0521190855
- ^ Bendick, R.; Bilham, R.; Freymueller, J.; Larson, K.; andYin, G. (2000). "Geodetic evidence for a low slip rate in the Altyn Tagh fault system". Nature. 404 (6773): 69–72. Bibcode:2000Natur.404...69B. doi:10.1038/35003555. PMID 10716442.
- ^ Okal, EA (2009). "The 1956 earthquake and tsunami in Amorgos, Greece". Geophysical Journal International. 178 (3): 1533–1554. Bibcode:2009GeoJI.178.1533O. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04237.x.
- ^ White, RA (1985). "The Guatemala earthquake of 1816 on the Chixoy-Polochic fault". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 75 (2): 455–73.
- ^ Frost, Erik; Dolan, James; Sammis, Charles; Hacker, Brad; Cole, Joshua; Ratschbacher, Lothar (15 April 2009). "Progressive strain localization in a major strike‐slip fault exhumed from midseismogenic depths: Structural observations from the Salzach‐Ennstal‐Mariazell‐Puchberg fault system, Austria". Journal of Geophysical Research. 114 (B4): 1–14. Bibcode:2009JGRB..11404406F. doi:10.1029/2008JB005763.
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