Palm Springs Earthquake Faults Map

Palm Springs, California, lies within a seismically active region, surrounded by several significant earthquake faults, each with its own characteristics and potential hazards.

San Andreas Fault Zone: This is the most famous fault in California, known for its large-scale movements and potential for major earthquakes. It is a strike-slip fault, where the ground moves horizontally. While not immediately adjacent to Palm Springs, its effects can be felt throughout Southern California.
San Jacinto Fault: This is a major strike-slip fault that runs through the region just to the west of Palm Springs. It is known to be one of the most active faults in Southern California and poses a significant earthquake hazard to the area.
Indio Hills Fault Zone: This fault zone consists of multiple faults, including both strike-slip and thrust faults. It is located to the southeast of Palm Springs and contributes to the seismic activity in the region.
Coachella Fan Fault Zone: This zone includes multiple faults and is located to the east of Palm Springs. It exhibits both strike-slip and thrust fault characteristics.
Johnson Valley Fault Zone: Located north of Palm Springs, this zone is known for its strike-slip faults and contributes to the regional seismic hazard.
San Gorgonio Pass Fault Zone: This zone includes thrust faults and is situated northwest of Palm Springs, affecting the area with potential seismic activity.
Santa Ana Fault Zone: This strike-slip fault zone is located west of Palm Springs and contributes to seismic activity in the region.
Other Minor Fault Zones: These include the Burnt Mountain fault zone, Mecca Hills fault zone, Hidden Spring fault zone, Blue Cut fault zone, and others, each adding to the complex seismic landscape around Palm Springs.

Most Active Faults

The San Andreas Fault and the San Jacinto Fault are considered the most active in the region, with the San Jacinto Fault being particularly significant due to its proximity to Palm Springs.

Earthquake Hazards

In a major earthquake, Palm Springs could face various hazards including:

Ground Shaking: Intense shaking can cause structural damage to buildings, especially older structures not built to current seismic standards.
Liquefaction: Areas with loose, water-saturated soil could experience liquefaction, where the ground temporarily loses strength and behaves like a liquid.
Landslides: Steep slopes around Palm Springs could experience landslides triggered by shaking.
Building and Structure Collapse: Older buildings, including the mid-century homes with large glass panels, may be vulnerable to collapse or major damage.
Fires: Earthquakes can rupture gas lines and cause fires, especially in urban areas.

Impact on Mid-Century Homes

Mid-century homes in Palm Springs, famous for their modernist architecture with extensive use of glass and stone, could be at risk during a major earthquake. Large glass panels are susceptible to shattering under intense shaking, and older construction methods may not have incorporated modern seismic retrofitting techniques.

Areas Facing Worst Shaking

Generally, areas closer to active faults like the San Jacinto Fault would experience the strongest shaking. Low-lying areas with softer soils could also amplify ground motion.

Major Earthquakes in the Last 200 Years

Palm Springs and its surrounding areas have experienced significant earthquakes, including the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, which ruptured along the San Andreas Fault and affected the region. More recent notable events include the 1986 North Palm Springs earthquake and smaller events related to the nearby San Jacinto Fault.

In summary, while Palm Springs enjoys a sunny climate and architectural charm, it also resides in a region prone to significant seismic activity due to its proximity to multiple active faults. Understanding these geological factors is crucial for assessing and preparing for earthquake risks in the area.

Whitewater / Banning Fault Map

Palm Springs Fault Map

Indio Area Fault Map

Coachella Valley Fault Map

Fault Attributes Key

NAME is an 80-character field for the name of the fault (including section name,
i.e., Denali fault, Holitna section). Fault and section are lower case.

CODE is a three-integer field.that defines certainty or reliability of field mapping
(integer one), time of most recent movement (integer two), and amount or rate of slip (integer three).
CODE is composite of the single integer fields ACODE, SLIPCODE, and FCODE
and determines the line type (fault trace) to be plotted.

NUM is a six-character unique USGS identifier that defines a fault or section id. Simple fault
ids are only numeric; section ids are alpha numeric.

AGE is the upper bounding time of the most recent surface-deforming earthquake. The allowable
choices are provided in a pull-down menu.

ACODE is the second integer in CODE and defines the upper bounding time of the most recent
surface-deforming earthquake.
Permissible values are between 1 and 6: 1=historic «150 years; red =cmyk 1096680);
2= post glacial (15,000 years; orange = cmyk 1 38 1000);
3 = late Quaternary «130,000 years; green> cmyk 1002500);
4 =middle and late Quaternary «750,000 years: blue > cmyk 1004440);
5 =Quaternary «1,600,000 years; black 5);
6 = Class B (black halftone)
In the text documentation, Quaternary faults (integer two, 1-5) are Class A structures. Questionable or
suspected structures are Class B (integer two, 6).

SLIPRATE is the assigned slip rate category.

SLIPCODE is the third integer in CODE and defines the assigned slip rate category. Permissible
values are between 1 and 4 and determines line width:
1=>5 mm/year (extra wide; .048):
2 =1-5 mm/year (wide; .0325):
3 =0.2-1 mm/year (medium; .025);
4 =<.2 mm/year (thin; .015)

SLIPSENSE is normal, reverse, strike slip, thrust

DIPDIRECTION is one of the eight quadrant dip directions for the entire fault or section, not the
individual arc. C = center E =east N_ =north NE =northeast NW =northwest S =south SE =southeast SW =
southwest W_ =west
SLIPDIRECT (we are not using that field anymore and can be left empty) FCODE is the first integer
in CODE and defines how well the fault is located and expressed in the landscape. Permissible values are

between 1 and 3:
1 = fault landforms are more continuous than discontinuous and mapping is accurate at
given MAPPEDSCALE (solid);
2 = fault landforms are more discontinuous than continuous and mapping is accurate at
given MAPPEDSCALE (dashed);
3 = location of fault is inferred (dotted)
FTYPE is one of three allowable choices provided in a pull-down menu: Well constrained (FCODE 1),
Moderately constrained (FCODE 2), and Inferred (FCODE 3)

MAPPEDSCALE is one of four allowable choices provided in a pull-down menu.
Mapped scale will control visualization of the fault at various scales.
1:24,000, fault should be more continuous than discontinuous and mapping is accurate at <10,000 scale.
1:50,000, fault should be more continuous than discontinuous and mapping is accurate at <25,000 scale.
1:100,000, fault could be more discontinuous than continuous and mapping is accurate at <50,000 scale.
1:250,000, fault location may be inferred or is poorly constrained.

Click on the fault lines for more information.
Note* The earthquake faults are color coded by unique name and section not type.

Data source: USGS
CCCarto is not responsible for data errors or omissions, use as reference only.
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