Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

What is the relationship between faults and earthquakes? What happens to a fault when an earthquake occurs?

Earthquakes occur on faults - strike-slip earthquakes occur on strike-slip faults, normal earthquakes occur on normal faults, and thrust earthquakes occur on reverse or thrust faults. When an earthquake occurs on one of these faults, the rock on one side of the fault slips with respect to the other. The fault surface can be vertical, horizontal, or at some angle to the surface of the earth. The slip direction can also be at any angle.

Learn More: Glossary of earthquake terms