Earthquake Information
Fault Name Index
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Homestead Valley Fault
TYPE OF FAULTING: right-lateral strike-slip
LENGTH: 29 km
NEAREST COMMUNITY: Landers
LAST SURFACE RUPTURE: March 15, 1979, ML 5.3; June 28, 1992, MW 7.3
SLIP RATE: 0.5 mm/yr
INTERVAL BETWEEN MAJOR RUPTURES: roughly 7000 years
PROBABLE MAGNITUDES: MW6.0 - 7.0; greater when rupture involves multiple nearby faults, as in 1992
OTHER NOTES: Interval given is for surface rupture of approximately 3 meters. The 1979 event produced an offset of only 10 cm, and should not be considered a "major" rupture.
The Homestead Valley fault ruptured along most of its length during the 1992 Landers earthquake, with a peak right-lateral displacement of 3.35 meters (11 feet). In contrast, during the 1979 rupture, only 3.25 kilometers (2 miles) broke, with a maximum displacement of about 10 centimeters (4 inches). During the Landers quake, this fault served as one of many links in a chain of connected fault rupture, and displayed a good deal of complexity of structure, especially near its southern end.
This fault is featured on the following maps:
Mojave Fault Map
