The GEM Foundation's Global Active Faults is building a comprehensive, global dataset of active fault traces of seismogenic concern. The GEM GAF-DB comprises GIS files hosted here of fault traces and small amount of relevant attributes or metadata (fault geometry, kinematics, slip rate, etc.) useful for seismic hazard modeling and other tectonic applications. The dataset is being assembled primarily as a part of GEM's global Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Modeling efforts, although we hope that the data find wide use in research, education and general interest among many users.

The dataset is freely and publicly available here, under a Creative Commons attribution sharealike license.

The dataset currently covers most of the deforming continental regions on earth with the exceptions of the Malay Archipelago, Madagascar, Canada, and a few other regions.

Many thanks to the many geoscientists and organizations who have made the regional catalogs used in this work.

This study is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this study are the sole responsibility of the GEM Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Data Sources

Questions? Concerns? Suggestions about data? Please contact Richard Styron at richard.styron (at) globalquakemodel.org.