Aseismic creep

In geology, aseismic creep is measurable surface displacement along a fault in the absence of notable earthquakes.

An example is along the Calaveras fault in Hollister, California. Streets crossing the fault in Hollister show significant offset and several houses sitting atop the fault are notably twisted (yet habitable). The city attracts geologists and geology students almost weekly. There is also significant aseismic creep along the Hayward fault in and north of Hayward, California, but this is insufficient to prevent a substantial earthquake.