The Kern Canyon Fault is a geological fault which runs the length of Kern Canyon in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
The fault was once considered inactive, but recent studies show the contrary. [1] [2]
The fault is a break in the southern section of the Sierra Nevada-Great Valley Block, manifesting differences in the stresses in this region over a period of over 100 million years. The fault was formerly right lateral-moving (horizontal sliding), but has changed to a normal (vertical lifting) mode of motion over the past several thousands of years.