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 nameLength [km]LocationSense of movement Time of movementAssociated earthquakesSourcesAedipsos-Kandili Fault60North Euboean Gulf, Greece Normal Active Alaska–Aleutian megathrust4000Kamchatka, Russia to Gulf of AlaskaSubduction zone Active1964 Prince William Sound (M9.2), 1965 Rat Islands (M8.7), 1957 Andreanof Islands (M8.6) Alpine Fault600South Island, New ZealandDextral strike-slip (transform) ActiveLast earthquake ca. 1717 (~M8)Altyn Tagh Fault2000Tibetan Plateau/Tarim Basin Sinistral strike-slip Active Amfilochia Fault60Western GreeceSinistral strike-slip Active Amorgos Fault>100Greece, South Aegean SeaNormal Active1956 Amorgos (M7.4)Arkitsa–Agios Konstantinos fault zone25Central GreeceNormalAspy Fault40Nova Scotia, Canada Strike-slip Atacama Fault800Atacama Desert, ChileStrike-slipActiveAtalanti Fault50Central GreeceNormalActive1894 Atalanti (M6.4, M6.9)Atotsugawa FaultJapanDextral strike-slipActive1858 Hietsu earthquake (M~7)Awatere Fault200South Island, New ZealandDextral strike-slipActive1848 Marlborough (M7.5) Azores–Gibraltar transform fault 2250Azores to Strait of Gibraltar Dextral strike-slip Active1755 Lisbon earthquake (est. M7.7–9.0), 1969 Cape St. Vincent (M7.9), 1941 Gloria Fault (M8.0)Baikal Rift ZoneLake Baikal Rift zone ActiveBalcones FaultTexas, United States Normal Inactive the subsidence of the Texas Coastal Plain during the Neogene periodBallenas FaultGulf of California, United States Transform ActiveBaribis Fault100 Java, IndonesiaThrustActive 1834 Java earthquake (M 7.0)Brothers Fault ZoneOregon, United States Bulnay Fault370MongoliaSinistralActive1905 Bolnai (M8.3)Calaveras Fault120San Francisco Bay Area, California, United StatesDextralActive1911 Morgan Hill (M6.5), 1984 Morgan Hill (M6.2)Cascadia megathrust1000West coast of United States – Oregon & Washington Vancouver Island, CanadaSubduction zoneActive1700 Cascadia (M9.0)Central African Shear Zone4000Central Africa Rift zoneCerro Prieto FaultGulf of California, United StatesTransformActiveChino FaultCalifornia, United StatesDextralActiveChixoy-Polochic FaultGuatemalaTransformActive1816 Guatemala (M7.5)Christchurch FaultSouth Island, New Zealand ActiveChile subduction megathrust3000West coast of ChileSubduction zoneActive 1960 Valdivia (M9.5); 1906 Valparaiso (M8.2); 2010 Maule (M8.8); 2014 Iquique (M8.2)Clarence Fault210South Island, New ZealandDextral strike-slipActiveClarendon-Linden fault systemNew York, United States Clayton-Marsh Creek-Greenville FaultCalifornia, United States Cochabamba Fault ZoneBoliviaSinistral strike-slipConcord Fault18California, United StatesDextralActiveCorinth Rift110GreeceRift zoneActive1995 Aigio (M6.2); 1981 Alkyonides (M6.4-6.7); 1861 Helike (M6.6-6.7); 373 BC HelikeCraven Fault SystemPenninesNormalCarboniferousDarling Fault950-1500Western Australia, AustraliaProterozoicDead Sea Transform~1000Sinai PeninsulaSinistral transformActive1138 Aleppo earthquakeDelfi Fault Zone25Central GreeceNormal to strike-slipDenali Fault>500British Columbia, Canada to Alaska, United StatesDextral strike-slipActive2002 Denali (M7.9)East African Rift~5,000East AfricaRift zoneActiveEast Anatolian Fault~700TurkeySinistral strike-slipActive2003 Bingöl (M6.4), 2010 Elâzığ (M6.1), 2020 Elâzığ (M6.7), 2023 Turkey (M7.8)Eastern Tennessee seismic zoneAlabama to Virginia, United States Active2003 Alabama (M4.6) Elsinore Fault Zone180California, United StatesDextral strike-slip ActiveEltanin Fault SystemSouthern Ocean Dextral transform Active1600 km offsetEnriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zoneHispaniolaSinistral strike-slip Active2010 Haiti (M7.0), 2021 Haiti (M7.2)European Cenozoic Rift System1,100France, Switzerland, Germany, NetherlandsRift zoneActive1992 Roermond (M5.3), 1356 Basel (M6.0-7.1)Flores back-arc thrust faultJava and Banda Sea, IndonesiaThrustActiveJuly–August 2018 Lombok (M6.4-6.9)Garlock Fault250California, United StatesSinistral ActiveGlarus thrustSwitzerlandThrust faultCenozoicGreat Glen FaultScotland Strike-slipSilurian to CenozoicGreat Lakes Tectonic Zone (GLTZ)1400Great Lakes, United StatesTectonic zoneNeoarcheanGreat Northern Puerto Rico Fault Zone (GNPRfz)270Puerto RicoStrike-slipActive2010 Aguas Buenas (5.1)Jessica Thompson Jobe, Richard W. Briggs, Uri ten Brink, Thomas L. Pratt, Kenneth Stephen Hughes, Alexandra E. Hatem, Christopher B. DuRoss, Nadine G. Reitman, Julie A. Herrick, Sylvia Nicovich, Camille M. Collett, Katherine M. Scharer, Stephen B. DeLong; Geologic Input Databases for the 2025 Puerto Rico—U.S. Virgin Islands National Seismic Hazard Model Update: Crustal Faults Component. Seismological Research Letters 2024;; 96 (2A): 1018–1044. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220230222Great Southern Puerto Rico Fault Zone (GSPRFZ)200Puerto RicoStrike-slipActive2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakesGreat Sumatran Fault1650-1900Sumatra, IndonesiaStrike-slipActive1943 Alahan Panjang (M7.2), 1994 Liwa (M7.0)Greendale Fault>20South Island, New ZealandDextral strike-slipActive 2010 Canterbury (M7.1) Guaymas Fault325California, United StatesDextral strike-slipActiveGulf of California Rift Zone1300MexicoRift zoneActive2010 Mexicali (M7.2)Gulf of Suez Rift>250EgyptRift zoneLate Oligocene – end MioceneHaiyuan Fault1000Tibet, ChinaSinistralActive1920, 1927Hayward Fault Zone119San Francisco Bay, California, United StatesStrike-slip Active1868 Hayward (M6.3–6.7)Hellenic Arc1000East Mediterranean SeaThrust/Strike-slip 365 AD (M8.5+); 1303 AD (~8)Homebush Bay Fault Zone≥20Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaSinistral strike-slipEarly CretaceousHoney Lake Fault ZoneNevada and California, United StatesDextral strike-slipActiveHope Fault130South Island, New ZealandDextral strike-slipActive1888 North Canterbury (M7.3), 2016 North Canterbury Mw7.8Humboldt Fault ZoneNebraska to Kansas, United StatesNormalActive1867 Manhattan, Kansas (M5.1)Hurricane Fault250Utah to Arizona, United StatesNormal1992 Utah (M5.9)Imperial Fault ZoneCalifornia, United StatesDextral strike-slipActive1940 El Centro (M6.9), 1979 Imperial Valley (M6.4)Ierapetra Fault40CreteNormal Independence Valley fault systemNevada, United StatesNormalActive2008 Wells earthquake (M6.0)Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc subduction zone>2800MicronesiaSubduction zoneActive1993 Guam (M7.8)Japan Trench1400Off the coast of HonshuSubduction zoneActivesee Seismicity of the Sanriku coastKabaw Fault>300MyanmarOblique-thrustActive1792 Rakhine (M8.8)Kameni-Kolumbo Fault zone>60Greece, South Aegean SeaDextral (?) Strike-slipKandi Fault ZoneWest AfricaKarakoram Fault1000TibetOblique-slipKarsdorf FaultGermanyKefalonia Transform Fault180Greece, Ionian SeaDextral strike SlipActive1953 Kephalonia (M7.2)Kego FaultJapanActive2005 Fukuoka (M7.0)Kekerengu FaultSouth Island, New ZealandDextralActive2016 – See Hope Fault M7.8 Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone3000 New ZealandSubduction zoneActive2021 Kermadec Islands (M8.1)Kern Canyon FaultSierra Nevada, California, United StatesThrust faultKunlun fault1500TibetSinistral strike-slipActive2001 Kunlun (M7.8)Kuril–Kamchatka Trench2900From the Kuril Islands to the Kamchatka PeninsulaSubduction zoneActive1952 Severo-Kurilsk (M9.0)Kyaukkyan Fault500MyanmarDextralActive1912 Shan state (M7.7)Laguna Salada Fault64–80 United States and MexicoStrike-slipActive2010 Mexicali (M7.2)Laptev Sea RiftArctic OceanRift zone Lesser Antilles Subduction Zone>900Lesser AntillesSubduction zoneActive1969 Guadeloupe (M7.2), 1974 Antigua (7.5), 2007 Martinique (M7.4)Lewis OverthrustMontana, United StatesThrustLate Cretaceous to Early PaleoceneLiquiñe-Ofqui Fault1000Andes, ChileStrike-slipLong Point–Eureka Heights Fault SystemTexas, United StatesNormal Longmen Shan FaultSichuan, China Thrust fault Active2008 Sichuan (M8.0)Lost River FaultIdaho, United StatesNormalActive1983 Borah Peak (M6.9)Lusatian FaultGermanyThrust faultMacquarie Fault Zone>400South Pacific OceanStrike-slipActive1989 Maquarie Isl. (8.2), 2008 Macquarie Island earthquake (M7.1)Mae Chan Fault120Thailand and LaosSinstral Active2007 Laos (M6.3)Magallanes–Fagnano FaultSouth AmericaTransformMain Boundary Thrust2000HimalayaThrustActive (although not uniformly)Main Central Thrust2200HimalayaThrustActive (although not uniformly)1991 Uttarkashi (M6.8)Main Frontal Thrust2000HimalayaThrustActive1505 Lo Mustang (M8.9), 1934 Bihar (M8.0)Main Himalayan Thrust2000HimalayaSubduction zone (continental collision)Active1505 Lo Mustang (M8.9), 1950 Assam-Tibet (M8.6) 2015 Gorkha (M7.8), 2015 Nepal (M7.3)Main Uralian Fault (MUF)2000+UralsSubduction zoneMarianna FaultArkansas, United StatesMarikina Valley fault systemPhilippinesDextral strike-slipActiveMarlborough fault systemSouth Island, New ZealandDextral strike-slipActive1843 Wanganui (M~7.5)Meers FaultOklahoma, United StatesOblique slipeActiveHoloceneMedvednica Fault ZoneZagreb, CroatiaStrike-slipActive1880 (M6.3), 2020 (M5.3)Mendocino fracture zoneCalifornia, United StatesTransformActiveMoab FaultUtah, United StatesNormalActiveMocha fracture zoneMocha Island, ChileTransformActiveMotagua FaultGuatemalaTransformActive1717, 1773, 1902, 1976, 1980, 2009Mount Diablo Thrust25Contra Costa County, California, United StatesBlind thrustActiveMygdonia GrabenNorth GreeceNormal to strike-slipActive1978 Thessaloniki (M6.4)Middle America Trench2750West of Central AmericaSubduction zoneActive1982 El Salvador (M7.3), 1992 Nicaragua (M7.7)Nankai Trough900South of Honshū, JapanSubduction zoneActivesee Nankai megathrust earthquakesNeodani FaultJapanOblique-slipActive1891 Mino–Owari (M8.0)New Madrid Fault Zone Missouri, United StatesNormal Active1811–1812 three (M7-8)Nootka FaultBritish Columbia, CanadaTransform ActiveNorth Aegean Trough>250North Aegean Sea, Greece, TurkeyDextral strike-slipActive1912 (M7.6); 1982 (M6.7); 2014 (M6.9)North Anatolian FaultTurkeyDextral strike-slipActive1939 Erzincan (M7.8), 1912 Ganos (M7.4), 1999 Izmit (M7.4), 1999 Düzce (M7.2), 2022 Düzce (M6.1)North Ikaria Fault>80Central Aegean Sea, GreeceDextral strike slipNorth Island Fault System500North Island, New ZealandDextral strike slipActiveNorthridge Blind ThrustSan Fernando Valley, United StatesBlind thrustActive1994 Northridge (M6.7)Palu-Koro Fault500Palu, Sigi, Donggala, Indonesia Sinistral strike-slipActive2005 Bora, Sigi earthquake (M6.2), 2018 Sulawesi earthquake (M7.5)Periadriatic Seam1000Alps, EuropeDextral strike-slipPichilemu Fault40ChileActive2010 Pichilemu (Libertador O'Higgins) (M6.9)Piqiang Fault>70ChinaSinistral strike-slipActive2024 Uqturpan earthquakePliny Trench300Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Hellenic TrenchSinistral strike-slipPort Hills FaultSouth Island, New ZealandOblique-thrustActive2011 Christchurch (M6.3)Puente Hills Thrust40San Gabriel Valley, United StatesBlind thrustActive1987 Whittier Narrows (M5.9)Puerto Rico Trench1,000+Puerto Rico, Virgin IslandsTransformActive1943 Puerto Rico (M7.7)Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault800Canada and AlaskaDextralActive1949 Graham Island (M8.1), 1958 Lituya Bay (M7.8), 2012 Haida Gwaii (M7.8) Pyramid Lake Fault ZoneNevada, United StatesDextral strike-slipRamapo Fault300New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, United StatesNormal Triassic to Early Jurassic Rawat FaultPakistanRaymond FaultCalifornia, United States Red River Fault900China, VietnamDextral strike-slipActive1970 Tonghai (M7.1), 1925 Dali (M6.9-7.0), 2021 Dali (M6.1)Red Sea RiftRed SeaRift zoneReigolil-Pirihueico FaultAndesRhine Rift ValleyGermany and FranceRift zoneActive1356 Basel (M6 to 7)Rio Grande RiftRio Grande Valley, United States and Mexico Rift zone Romeral Fault System700ColombiaThrust and strike-slipActive1983 (M5.5), 1999 (M6.2)Sagami Trough340Off the coast of HonshūSubduction zoneActivesee Kantō earthquakesSagaing Fault1500MyanmarDextralActive1839, May 1930, Dec 1930, 1946, 1956, 2012, 2025Salzach-Ennstal-Mariazell-Puchberg Fault System (SEMP)400AustriaSini