GEM Global Active Faults

Active Fault Systems & Subduction Zones

Live monitoring of the world’s 20 most significant active fault systems and subduction zones: tectonic kinematics, slip rates, maximum magnitude potential and real-time seismicity along each trace.

Fault systems20
Longest trace5,900 kmPeru–Chile Trench
Highest MₘₐₓM9.5Peru–Chile Trench

Fault traces are drawn from the GEM Global Active Faults database. Slip rates, recurrence intervals and maximum magnitudes are compiled from the published literature and refer to the main trace of each system.

Peru–Chile Trench

Western South America

Subduction megathrust
Length
5,900 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M9.5
Slip rate
65–70 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2010 · M8.8
Elapsed since last rupture15%

Sunda Megathrust

Sumatra and Java, Indonesia

Subduction megathrust
Length
5,500 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M9.3
Slip rate
50–60 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2005 · M8.6
Elapsed since last rupture11%

Cascadia Subduction Zone

Pacific Northwest, United States and Canada

Subduction megathrust
Length
1,000 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M9.2
Slip rate
35–40 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1700 · M9.0
Elapsed since last rupture65%

Kuril–Kamchatka Trench

Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, Russia

Subduction megathrust
Length
2,100 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M9.0
Slip rate
75–80 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2006 · M8.3
Elapsed since last rupture20%

Nankai Trough

Southwestern Japan

Subduction megathrust
Length
700 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.8
Slip rate
40–50 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1946 · M8.1
Elapsed since last rupture67%

Main Himalayan Thrust

Himalaya: Nepal, India and Bhutan

Continental collision thrust
Length
2,400 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.7
Slip rate
18–21 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2015 · M7.8
Elapsed since last rupture2%

Chon-Kemin Fault

Tien Shan: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Continental collision thrust
Length
300 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.3
Slip rate
2–4 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1911 · M8.2
Elapsed since last rupture12%

Hellenic Arc Subduction Zone

Crete and the Aegean Sea, Greece

Subduction megathrust
Length
1,000 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.3
Slip rate
30–35 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1303 · M8.0
Elapsed since last rupture90%

Alpine Fault

South Island, New Zealand

Transpressional (oblique)
Length
480 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.2
Slip rate
27–30 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1717 · M8.1
Elapsed since last rupture103%

San Andreas Fault

California, United States

Right-lateral strike-slip
Length
1,200 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.1
Slip rate
20–35 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1989 · M6.9
Elapsed since last rupture25%

Queen Charlotte Fault

British Columbia and southeastern Alaska

Right-lateral strike-slip
Length
900 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.1
Slip rate
45–50 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2012 · M7.8
Elapsed since last rupture14%

North Anatolian Fault

Northern Türkiye

Right-lateral strike-slip
Length
1,500 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.0
Slip rate
20–25 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1999 · M7.6
Elapsed since last rupture11%

Denali Fault

Alaska, United States

Right-lateral strike-slip
Length
1,200 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M8.0
Slip rate
8–12 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2002 · M7.9
Elapsed since last rupture8%

Philippine Fault System

Philippine archipelago

Left-lateral strike-slip
Length
1,200 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.9
Slip rate
20–35 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1990 · M7.7
Elapsed since last rupture36%

East Anatolian Fault

Southeastern Türkiye and Syria

Left-lateral strike-slip
Length
500 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.8
Slip rate
9–11 mm/yr
Last major rupture
2023 · M7.8
Elapsed since last rupture1%

Sagaing Fault

Central Myanmar

Right-lateral strike-slip
Length
1,200 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.8
Slip rate
18–20 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1946 · M7.7
Elapsed since last rupture53%

Motagua Fault

Guatemala

Left-lateral strike-slip
Length
400 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.6
Slip rate
18–20 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1976 · M7.5
Elapsed since last rupture25%

Dead Sea Transform

Levant: Israel, Jordan and Lebanon

Left-lateral strike-slip
Length
1,000 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.5
Slip rate
4–5 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1927 · M6.2
Elapsed since last rupture12%

Wasatch Fault Zone

Utah, United States

Normal (extensional)
Length
370 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.5
Slip rate
1–2 mm/yr
Last major rupture
Paleoseismic only

Hayward Fault

San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Right-lateral strike-slip
Length
119 km
Mₘₐₓ potential
M7.2
Slip rate
9 mm/yr
Last major rupture
1868 · M6.8
Elapsed since last rupture105%

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Verified scientific, operational, and emergency protocols

A fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust along which blocks of rock have moved. It is classified as active when there is evidence of slip during the Quaternary — broadly the last 2.6 million years — which is the window over which the current tectonic regime has held. Activity is not the same as frequent earthquakes: a fault can be locked and silent for centuries while accumulating the strain that it will eventually release.