In seismology, an active fault is a geological fault that will generate an earthquake at some point in the near future. A fault is considered active if it has had a recent seismic event or evidence that an earthquake has occurred in the last 10,000 years.[1]​.

An active geological fault is considered a geological hazard as it is related to the possible generation of earthquakes, which can cause movements in the crust, deformations, landslides, landslides, liquefaction and tsunamis.[2]​.

Quaternary faults are faults that have been recognized on the Earth's surface and for which there is evidence of movement in the last 2,590,000 years, the duration of the Quaternary period.[3]​.

The study of active faults is linked to tectonics, seismology, geodesy, geomorphology and other disciplines.[2]​.

Active faults are usually located in active zones of the Earth's crust, both near the edges of tectonic plates and in intraplate zones affected by tectonic stresses.[2]​.

Various geological methods are used to define tectonic plate boundaries, such as remote sensing and magnetic measurements. There are other types of sources such as historical documents. The activity of the fault and its location determine the risk that said fault represents for the population.[2][3][4]​.