11 Biggest Fault Lines in the World

Earthquakes are the most dangerous near these 11 biggest fault lines in the world. As you may or may not know, the crust of the earth is constantly moving and reshaping itself. The structure of the planet is such that inner movements of substances and materials cause outward movements as well. The planet was once a mega-continent and all land masses were once beside one another.  Eventually as the crust of the earth moved these land masses broke apart and other areas of land and water formed. This is one of the reasons why some continents in the world seem to fit with one another.

Fault lines are caused by these movements of earth. These are specific lines that have been mapped that show a tendency of movement whether it is outward or inward. As such, when these locations on the earth moves it causes earthquakes. Earthquakes have known to create massive damage and deaths. The 11 Countries with Most Earthquakes are located near these fault lines. Movement in these fault lines have caused some of the most devastating and deadly earthquakes on record. It has also sparked development of structures that are resilient to quakes.

These fault lines are ranked based on how long they are. Most of the fault lines listed here reach hundreds to even thousands of kilometres. They all move in different ways but can all cause very strong movements. Let’s find out more as we go through these 11 biggest fault lines in the world.

11. Altyn Tagh Fault

The Altyn Tagh fault is at least 1200 km long and is an active fault line that has been estimated to have been moving since the age of dinosaurs. It is located at the Tibetan Plateau. The plate is known to collide with two other plates causing a massive strike-slip motion. According to some studies the fault line may even extend up to 1500-2500 km in length.

10. San Andreas Fault System

The San Andreas Fault system is so huge that it is divided into segments. The fault line is estimated to be at least 1300 km long and is a large fault line that affects most of California. The fault system is named after the San Andreas Lake which can be found in the middle of two moving plates. There are currently drilling expeditions into the fault in order to lessen earthquakes and provide faster responses.

9. Gulf of California Rift Zone

The Gulf of California Rift Zone is located at the southern tip of the San Andreas Fault and extends another 1300 km. It reaches well into the area of Mexico. The zone is known to be a place where the North American plate moves from. This location creates new land masses and seafloor due to the pulling of tectonic forces.

8. Great Lakes Tectonic Zone

At a length of 1400km the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone is found from South Dakota all the way to the southern area of Minnesota. This then extends to Michigan and then to Ontario, Canada. The zone is known to be volcanically and seismically active. According to scientists, movement dates back to 2.7 million years ago.

7. Alpine Fault

With the same length as the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone, the Alpine Fault can be found at New Zealand’s South Island. The movement of the plates here have caused some of the most devastating earthquakes in the country. The rates of movement of the fault are very fast compared to other fault lines in the world.

6. Kunlun Fault

The Kunlun Fault is another long fault line located at Tibet but this time the northern side. It is measured at 1500km long and has been active since 40,000 years ago. Because of this, the area has experienced some strong quakes including a 7.8 magnitude earthquake during 2001.

Longer fault lines and more earthquakes can be found as we continue this list of 11 biggest fault lines in the world.

5. Main Uralian Fault

Otherwise known as MUF, the Main Uralian Fault is at least 2000 km long. It runs through the Ural Mountains and separates a large part of Europe and Asia. It is a very deep fault line that reaches 15km below the crust surface.

4. Peru-Chile Trench

The Peru-Chile trench is also known as the Atacama trench. It is located in the Pacific Ocean nearing both Peru and Chile. The fault is measured at least 3000km long and some measurements even extend it up to 5900 km.

3. Alaska-Aleutian Megathrust

This 3,600 km fault line runs from the Gulf of Alaska up to Kamchatka. The movement in this place caused some of the strongest earthquakes and biggest tsunamis ever recorded. The most notable is the 1964 Alaska earthquake recorded at a magnitude of 9.2. This caused a very large tsunami.

2. Central African Shear Zone

At a length of 4,000 km this fault line is located from the Gulf of Guinea up to Sudan. There has been no descriptive mapping of the zone yet but it has been known to have been moving since 120 million years ago. Movement dates back to the Jurassic era.

1. Sunda Megathrust

The biggest fault line of all is measured up to 5,500 km and is found at South East Asia. It is located from Myanmar and runs all around the nearby regions until it reaches Australia. The movement of this fault line resulted in the 2004 India Earthquake that led to a tsunami claiming at least 230,000 lives.

This has been the list of 11 biggest fault lines in the world. If you want to stay away from dangerous earthquakes, then do not live near these fault lines.