Data from Theodolite Measurements of 

Creep Rates on San Francisco Bay 

Region Faults, California: 1979-2007 

By Forrest S. McFarland1, James J. Lienkaemper2, S. John Caskey3 and Karen Grove3

Open-File Report 2007-1367 

2007 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

1

 ENSR/AECOM, 300 Lakeside Drive, Ste. 220, Oakland, CA 94621 

2

 U.S. Geological Survey, MS 977, 345 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025 

3

 Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132 
Introduction

Our purpose is to update with six additional years of data, our creep data archive on San 

Francisco Bay region active faults for use by the scientific research community. Earlier data (1979-

2001) were reported in Galehouse (2002) and were analyzed and described in detail in a summary 

report (Galehouse and Lienkaemper, 2003). A complete analysis of our earlier results obtained on 

the Hayward fault was presented in Lienkaemper, Galehouse and Simpson (2001). Jon Galehouse of 

San Francisco State University (SFSU) and many student research assistants measured creep 

(aseismic slip) rates on these faults from 1979 until his retirement from the project in 2001. The 

creep measurement project, which was initiated by Galehouse, has continued through the 

Geosciences Department at SFSU from 2001-2006 under the direction of Co-P.I.’s Karen Grove and 

John Caskey (Grove and Caskey, 2005), and by Caskey since 2006. Forrest McFarland has managed 

most of the technical and logistical project operations as well as data processing and compilation 

since 2001. We plan to publish detailed analyses of these updated creep data in future publications. 

We maintain a project web site (http://funnel.sfsu.edu/creep/) that includes the following 

information: project description, project personnel, creep characteristics and measurement, map of 

creep measurement sites, creep measurement site information, and data plots for each measurement 

site. Our most current, annually updated results are therefore accessible to the scientific community 

and to the general public. Information about the project can currently be requested by the public by 

an email link (fltcreep@sfsu.edu) found on our project website 

Methods

The amount of creep is determined by noting changes in angles between sets of measurements 

taken across a fault at different times. This triangulation method uses a theodolite to measure the 

angle formed by three fixed points to the nearest tenth of a second of arc (Galehouse and 

Lienkaemper, 2003). For the first 14 years of measurements, the angle was measured 12 times on 

each measurement day. Since then, we have been measuring it eight times each day. The amount of 

slip between measurement days can be calculated trigonometrically using the change in average 

angle. The precision of the measurement method is such that we can detect with confidence any 

movement greater than 1-2 mm between successive measurement days. A discussion of errors, 

uncertainties and seasonal variations can be found in Galehouse and Lienkaemper (2003). 

We have regular measurement sites at 34 localities on active faults, and we include data from 

one site that had to be abandoned (SACR). These site locations are shown as triangles and site codes 

on the accompanying map (Figure 1) and identified by name in Table 1 and in the data sheets. In 

addition to the sites in the San Francisco Bay region, we have one measurement site on the San 

Andreas fault in the Point Arena area, one on the Bartlett Springs fault near Lake Pilsbury and two 

on the Maacama fault in Willits and east of Ukiah. In the past, we typically measured sites with a 

history of creep every two months and sites without a creep history about every three months. We 

expect to reduce frequency of measurements at several less active sites in order to establish and 

monitor new arrays on additional fault segments that may exhibit creep. 

In addition to our ten regular sites on the Hayward fault, we have established 22 additional 

Hayward fault annual survey sites (shown by dots in Figure 2 and by name in the data sheets and in 

Table 2) with J. Lienkaemper of the USGS. We began measuring each of these additional sites 

annually in July - August 1994. 

Data 

Table 1 shows the least squares average rate of movement at each site determined using linear 

regression and the simple average rate determined by dividing the total net right-lateral 

2
3

displacement by the total time measured. All measurement sites span a fault width of 57-267 m, 

except Sites GVRT and SGPR that span a greater width because of site considerations. The fault 

width spanned is noted in Table 1 and represents the distance from the theodolite on one side of a 

fault (IS, instrument station) to a target on the other side (ES, end station). Data sheets for each site 

follow Table 2. Each data sheet is identified in the upper left by site code and name. Hayward fault 

sites are ordered from northwest to southeast using kilometer distances along the fault measured 

from Point Pinole (P, in Figure 2) using the grid in Lienkaemper (2006). These data are also 

available for downloading in the Excel format to facilitate analysis of the data at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1367data/ (SFBayRegion07.xls and HaywardFault07.xls). They are 

also available as tab delimited raw data. The data include all 34 regular measurement sites and the 

22 SFSU/USGS annual survey sites on the Hayward fault. We show summary plots of the creep 

data by fault zone for: the Calaveras fault (Fig. 3a and 3b), Concord-Green Valley and Bartlett 

Springs faults (Fig. 4), Rodgers Creek and Maacama faults (Fig. 5), San Andreas and San Gregorio 

(Fig. 6) and Hayward fault (Figs. 7a and 7b). 

Acknowledgments

This project has been continuously funded since 1979 by various grants and contracts from the 

U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (latest contract was 

03HQGR0080). Special thanks go to the many student research assistants from San Francisco 

State University who have been instrumental in collecting these theodolite data since 1979. We 

are particularly grateful to Brett Baker, Beth Brown, Carolyn Domrose, Jessica Fadde, Carolyn 

Garrison, Oliver Graves, Theresa Hoyt, Leslie Pawlak, Jon Perkins, Jon Polly, Carl Schaefer, and 

Jim Thordsen, who each worked with us for more than three years. Thanks also to Bob Abrams, 

Chris Alger, Linda Bond, Denise Coutlakis, Lisa Garmin, Matt Harrigan, CJ Hayden, Kathleen 

Isaacson, Heather Lackey, Regan Long, Marina Mascorro, Dan McVanner, Barbara Menne, 

Nicole Peirce, Brian Pierce, Holly Prochaska, Anne Marie Scherer, Gary Schneider, Debra Smith, 

and Leta Smith who have all served as theodolite operators. Reviews by Robert Simpson and 

Ingrid Johanson also improved the clarity of the report. 

References Cited

Galehouse, J.S., 2002, Data from Theodolite Measurements of Creep Rates on San Francisco Bay 

Region Faults, California: 1979–2001: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02-225, 94 p. 

http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of02-225/ 

Galehouse, J. S. and Lienkaemper, J. J., 2003, Inferences drawn from two decades of alinement 

array measurements of creep on faults in the San Francisco Bay region: Bulletin Seismological 

Society America v. 93, p. 2415-2433. 

Grove, K., and Caskey, S. J., 2005, Theodolite and total station measurements of creep rates on 

San Francisco Bay Region faults: National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, Annual 

Project Summaries, Volume 46, U. S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. (On-line report) 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/external/reports/03HQGR0080.pdf

Lienkaemper, J.J., 2006, Digital database of recently active traces along the Hayward fault, 

California: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series DS-177, 20 p. 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/2006/177/ 

Lienkaemper, J. J., Galehouse, J. S., and Simpson, R. W., 2001, Long-term monitoring of creep 

rate along the Hayward fault and evidence for a lasting creep response to 1989 Loma Prieta 

earthquake: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 28, p. 2265-2268. 


0

100

200

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

y = -13327 + 6.7331x R= 0.99524 

CV7S - Seventh Street, Hollister - Calaveras fault

6.7 mm/yr since 1979

Calaveras Fault

0

100

200

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

y = -17640 + 8.921x R= 0.99204 

CVWR - Hollister (Wright Road) - Calaveras fault

 8.9 mm/yr since 1979

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

y = -34173 + 17.341x R= 0.99531 

CVCR - Coyote Ranch near Gilroy - Calaveras fault

 17.3 mm/yr since 1968

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

Figure 3a. Alinement array measurements, Calaveras fault. 1979 Coyote Lake Earthquake 1984 Morgan Hill Earthquake 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

7
0

50

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -2008.8 + 1.0019x R= 0.46695 

CVSP - Shannon Park, Dublin - Calaveras fault

 1.0 mm/yr since 2002

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -228.35 + 0.1163x R= 0.27671 

y = -7017.2 + 3.5244x R= 0.98477 

y = -3611.5 + 1.8195x R= 0.93897 

CVCP - Corey Place, San Ramon - Calaveras fault

 1.8 mm/yr since 1980

 [0.1 mm/yr 1980-1992; 3.5 mm/yr 1992-2001; 1.2 mm/yr 2001-2006]

Northern Calaveras Fault

0

50

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -8430.9 + 4.2212x R= 0.98019 

CVWC -Welch Creek Road - Calaveras fault

 4.2 mm/yr since 1997

0

50

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -268.53 + 0.13463x R= 0.14388 

CVSU - Sunol - Calaveras fault

 0.1 mm/yr since 2002

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

Figure 3b. Alinement array measurements, Northern Calaveras fault.

6
-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -7257 + 3.6673x R= 0.99482 

CASH - Ashbury Drive, Concord - Concord fault

 3.7 mm/yr since 1979

-20

0

20

40

60

80

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -5605.2 + 2.833x R= 0.9929 

CSAL - Salvio Street, Concord - Concord fault

 2.8 mm/yr since 1979

0

40

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -5579.6 + 2.7822x R= 0.75423 

GVMR - Mason Road, Fairfield - Green Valley fault

 2.8 mm/yr since 2005

Concord Fault

Green Valley Fault

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -7346.8 + 3.7073x R= 0.97279 

GVRT - Red Top Road, Fairfield - Green Valley fault !!!

 3.7 mm/yr since 1984

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

Figure 4 . Alinement array measurements, Concord-Green Valley and Bartlett Springs faults.

0

40

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -5579.6 + 2.7822x R= 0.75423 

GVMR - Mason Road, Fairfield - Green Valley fault

 2.8 mm/yr since 2005

Bartlett Springs Fault

0

40

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -1695 + 0.84468x R= 0.47982 

BSLP - Lake Pilsbury - Bartlett Springs fault

 0.8 mm/yr since 2005
Rodgers Creek Fault

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = 1395.4 - 0.69791x R= 0.34028 

RCSM - Sonoma Mountain Rd. - Rodgers Creek fault

 -0.7 mm/yr since 2004

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -3261.5 + 1.6292x R= 0.86304 

RCSD - Solano Drive, Santa Rosa - Rodgers Creek fault

 1.6 mm/yr since 2002

0

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -12419 + 6.2359x R= 0.99492 

MWIL - W. Commercial Ave., Willits - Maacama fault

 6.2 mm/yr since 1992

0

100

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -8988.4 + 4.5089x R= 0.98532 

MUKI - Sanford Ranch Road, Ukiah - Maacama fault

 4.5 mm/yr since 1993

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

Maacama Fault

Figure 5 . Alinement array measurements, Rodgers Creek and Maacama faults.

9
San Andreas Fault

0

50

100

150

200

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -22857 + 11.485x R= 0.99326 

SAMV - Mission Vineyard near San Juan Bautista - San Andreas fault

 11.5 mm/yr since 1990

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -3720.5 + 1.8561x R= 0.65246 

SASR - Searle Road - San Andreas fault

 1.9 mm/yr since 2002

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = 346.62 - 0.17283x R= 0.33291 

SGWP - West Point Avenue, Princeton San Gregorio fault (Seal Cove fault)

 -0.2 mm/yr since 1979

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -1880.9 + 0.94723x R= 0.80219 

SGPR - Pescadero Rd - San Gregorio fault 0.9 mm/yr since 1982

San Gregorio Fault

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -188.54 + 0.094678x R= 0.13027 SACR -Cannon Rd - San Andreas fault

 0.1 mm/yr since 1989

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -1105.9 + 0.55643x R= 0.83655 

SARD - Roberta Drive, Woodside - San Andreas fault

 0.6 mm/yr since 1989

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = 529.28 - 0.26649x R= 0.77381 

SADW - Duhallow Way, Daly City - San Andreas fault

 -0.3 mm/yr since 1980

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = 215.93 - 0.10724x R= 0.31445 

SAPR - Point Reyes National Seashore Headquarters - San Andreas fault

 -0.1 mm/yr since 1985

0

50

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

y = -798.78 + 0.4048x R= 0.82959 

SAAC - Alder Creek near Point Arena - San Andreas fault

 0.4 mm/yr since 1989

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

Figure 6 . Alinement array measurements, San Andreas and San Gregorio faults.
4.49 Contra [HCCC] 

8.37 Olive 

17.82 Stadium

20.84 Temescal

25.98 Lincoln

27.81 39th

30.68 73rd

33.39 Encina [HENC] 

36.55 Chabot

38.28 Fairmont

41.11 167th

43.22 Rose [HROS] 

44.56 D-St [HDST] 

45.64 Palisade

50.15 Woodland

47.72 Sepulchre

10.83 Thors [HTBR] 

14.05 Florida

23.92 La Salle [HLSA] 

18.43 Dwight

50 mm

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

year

1970 1980 1990 2000

Hayward Fault

(km 0-50)

Figure 7 a.Alinement array measurements, Hayward fault, sites from km 0 to 50.
1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Feb. 1996 creep event

55.65 Appian [HAPP] 

52.62 Chimes

59.09 Gilbert

62.64 Hancock

63.10 Union

65.29 Pine

67.02 Prune-Grimmer

68.45 Mission

62.25 Rockett [HRKT]

66.29 Camellia [HCAM]

66.67 Parkmeadow [HPMD]

Cumulative right-lateral movement (mm)

50 mm

year

1970 1980 1990 2000

Hayward Fault

(km 50-70)

Figure 7 b. Alinement array measurements, Hayward fault, sites from km 50 to 70 12
 Site: Fault Site Name

Longitude 

(WGS84)

Latitude 

(WGS84) Length (m)

Linear 

regression 

average 

creep rate 

(mm/yr)

± 

(mm/

yr)

Average* 

creep rate 

(mm/yr) yr

BSLP Bartlett Springs Lake Pilsbury -122.95726 39.44560 102.186 –– –– –– 1.1

CASH Concord Ashbury Drive -122.03524 37.97189 133.206 3.7 0.03 3.8 27.3

CSAL Concord Salvio Street -122.03824 37.97569 57.110 2.8 0.03 3.1 27.3

CV7S Calaveras Seventh Street -121.40631 36.84952 89.656 6.7 0.05 7.1 27.3

CVCP Calaveras, Northern Corey Place -121.96083 37.74569 111.066 1.8 0.06 1.6 25.7

CVCR Calaveras Coyote Ranch -121.52521 37.06981 99.280 17.3 0.21 15.9 38.7

CVSP Calaveras, Northern Shannon Park -121.93713 37.70649 150.000 1.0 0.95 0.6 5.1

CVSU Calaveras, Northern Sunol -121.87693 37.59850 243.000 0.1 0.53 0.0 4.2

CVWC Calaveras, Northern Welch Creek Road -121.85183 37.53570 158.534 4.2 0.12 4.1 10.0

CVWR Calaveras Wright Road -121.41381 36.86982 109.048 8.9 0.09 9.8 27.3

GVMR Green Valley Mason Road -122.16186 38.23603 143.137 2.8 0.86 3.2 2.1

GVRT Green Valley Red Top Road -122.15054 38.19848 343.750 3.7 0.09 4.0 22.7

HAPP Hayward Appian Way -122.00193 37.59240 124.892 5.6 0.04 5.4 27.3

HCAM Hayward Camellia Drive -121.93528 37.51235 88.352 4.3 0.11 3.9 16.9

HCCC Hayward Contra Costa College -122.33902 37.96918 146.036 5.2 0.06 5.0 26.5

HDST Hayward D Street -122.08162 37.67021 112.322 4.5 0.02 4.5 26.6

HENC Hayward Encina Way -122.15148 37.75453 123.801 2.7 0.10 3.0 17.3

HLSA Hayward LaSalle Ave -122.21005 37.82638 182.842 3.8 0.05 3.9 14.0

HPMD Hayward Parkmeadow Drive -121.93262 37.50960 156.911 6.0 0.11 5.7 14.8

HRKT Hayward Rockett Drive -121.96187 37.54210 179.751 5.3 0.06 5.6 27.3

HROS Hayward Rose Street -122.09121 37.67983 153.769 4.8 0.04 4.2 26.6

HTBR Hayward Thors Bay Road -122.29294 37.92449 119.540 3.3 0.10 4.0 17.3

MUKI Maacama Sanford Ranch Road -123.16748 39.13906 288.744 4.5 0.09 4.6 13.6

MWIL Maacama W. Commercial Ave -123.35699 39.41235 125.864 6.2 0.07 6.0 15.1

RCSD Rodgers Creek Solano Drive -122.69446 38.43687 90.502 1.6 0.22 1.7 4.5

RCSM Rodgers Creek Sonoma Mtn. Rd -122.59046 38.30928 137.926 -0.7 0.45 -1.9 4.3

SAAC San Andreas Alder Creek -123.69059 38.99986 265.982 0.4 0.06 0.6 25.6

SACR San Andreas Cannon Road -121.58611 36.88261 88.0 0.1 0.11 0.2 8.2

SADW San Andreas Duhallow Way -122.46564 37.64419 205.637 -0.3 0.02 -0.2 26.9

SAMV San Andreas Mission Vineyard Rd -121.52171 36.83502 134.663 11.5 0.14 12.4 16.5

SAPR San Andreas Point Reyes -122.79796 38.04398 76.491 -0.1 0.03 0.0 22.0

SARD San Andreas Roberta Drive -122.26154 37.41700 91.176 0.6 0.04 0.8 17.2

SASR San Andreas Searle Road -121.57280 36.87453 262.687 1.9 0.60 1.8 4.3

SGPR San Gregorio Pescadero Road -122.37294 37.25450 454.793 0.9 0.08 0.7 24.6

SGWP San Gregorio, Seal Cove West Point Ave -122.49664 37.50369 262.033 -0.2 0.05 -0.3 27.2

*average = total slip/total time

Table 1. Average Rates of Right-Lateral Movement, San Francisco Bay Region

13
Distance 

from Pt. 

Pinole 

(km) Site Name C ity

Longitude 

(WGS84)

Latitude 

(WGS84)

Length 

(m)

Linear 

regression 

average 

creep rate 

(mm/yr)

± 

(mm/

yr)

Average* 

creep rate 

(mm/yr) yr Note

8.37 Olive Drive Richmond -122.30959 37.94252 150 5.2 0.10 5.4 17.1

14.05 Florida Avenue Berkeley -122.27340 37.89980 127 3.0 0.10 3.0 7.2 1

17.82 Memorial Stadium Berkeley -122.25061 37.87066 166 4.7 0.03 4.7 39.9

18.43 Dwight Way Berkeley -122.24107 37.86447 105 4.2 0.36 3.7 9.2

20.84 Temescal Oakland -122.23137 37.84853 154 3.9 0.06 3.9 32.6

25.98 Lincoln Oakland -122.19863 37.80999 110 3.4 0.08 3.5 36.5

27.81 39th Oakland -122.18931 37.79504 139 3.8 0.11 3.9 32.5

30.68 73rd Oakland -122.16977 37.77426 90 3.0 0.07 2.9 13.4 1

36.55 Chabot Park San Leandro -122.12993 37.73184 231 4.0 0.24 4.4 13.4

38.28 Fairmont San Leandro -122.12131 37.71749 167 3.1 0.14 3.0 9.2 1

41.11 167th Castro Valley -122.10578 37.69495 91 4.7 0.14 5.0 14.2

45.64 Palisade Hayward -122.07397 37.66270 179 4.6 0.24 4.6 29.8

47.72 Sepulchre Hayward -122.05902 37.64798 107 5.6 0.15 5.8 12.2

50.15 Woodland Hayward -122.04140 37.63097 73 4.3 0.10 4.3 36.8 1

52.60 Chimes Union City -122.02325 37.61422 120 5.9 0.19 6.2 12.2

59.09 Gilbert Fremont -121.98094 37.56645 89 5.1 0.14 5.0 23.1 2

62.64 Hancock Fremont -121.95914 37.53942 89 5.7 0.18 5.7 24.8 2

63.10 Union Fremont -121.95584 37.53614 168 6.9 0.13 6.8 13.8 2

65.29 Pine Fremont -121.94181 37.51973 98 5.9 0.21 5.8 17.6 2

67.02 S. Grimmer Fremont -121.93046 37.50720 130 5.9 0.31 6.3 24.4 2

67.21 Onondaga Fremont -121.92894 37.50516 73 2.4 0.20 2.8 24.4 2,3

68.45 Mission Fremont -121.92182 37.49629 169 4.9 0.27 4.2 13.7 2

Notes: 

1) array may miss significant fault traces

2) slip rate includes considerable slow-down following 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

3) array misses a major creeping fault trace

*average = total slip/total time

Table 2. Average Rates of Right-Lateral Movement, Hayward Fault, Sites Surveyed Annually

14