Earthquake geology is an interdisciplinary field that integrates seismology, structural geology, geomorphology, and earthquake engineering. It primarily investigates the geological processes, surface deformation, and tectonic mechanisms associated with the nucleation, occurrence, and recurrence of strong earthquakes. As a discipline that combines fundamental scientific research with practical applications in earthquake disaster prevention and mitigation, earthquake geology occupies a pivotal position within the Earth sciences. Driven by China's unique intraplate tectonic setting, the frequent occurrence of destructive earthquakes in recent decades, and the growing societal demand for improved earthquake hazard mitigation, this discipline has experienced rapid development. Nevertheless, despite its substantial progress, earthquake geology has long lacked a systematic, data-driven assessment capable of objectively depicting its historical evolution and identifying emerging research frontiers. Existing review studies have primarily relied on qualitative summaries and have generally lacked quantitative evidence. To address this gap, this study employs bibliometric methods to quantitatively examine the developmental history, research progress, and evolutionary trends of earthquake geology in China based on publications indexed in the Web of Science and CNKI databases from 1982 to 2025. Through comprehensive analyses of publication output, keyword co-occurrence, research hotspots, citation networks, and international collaboration patterns, this study systematically reconstructs the discipline's developmental trajectory and identifies its future research directions, thereby providing an objective, data-driven complement to conventional narrative reviews.

The results indicate that the 1976 Tangshan earthquake represented a major turning point in the development of earthquake geology in China. Since then, research has gradually evolved from qualitative, case-oriented investigations to quantitative analyses supported by multi-source datasets. This transformation reflects not only significant methodological advances but also a fundamental shift in the discipline's research paradigm. To date, approximately 30% of China's known active faults have been mapped at a scale of 1∶50000, providing an increasingly robust database for seismic hazard assessment and earthquake disaster prevention. Meanwhile, the national seismic ground motion parameter zonation map has undergone five major revisions, progressively incorporating higher-quality datasets and more advanced analytical approaches to better support engineering applications and societal needs. Furthermore, systematic investigations of major earthquakes, including the 2008 Wenchuan M_S8.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province and the 2010 Yushu M_S7.1earthquake in Qinghai Province, have facilitated the establishment and refinement of China's independent theoretical framework, particularly the Active Block Theory, which has provided important insights into intraplate deformation processes and the mechanisms governing the preparation of large earthquakes. Collectively, these achievements demonstrate the close interaction between scientific advancement and national strategic needs, an interaction that has fundamentally shaped the development of earthquake geology in China.

Active fault research has consistently remained one of the central themes of earthquake geology, serving as the critical link between tectonic processes and seismic hazards. With the integrated application of satellite and aerial remote sensing, high-precision geochronology, deep geophysical exploration, and high-resolution topographic analyses, our understanding of the nucleation processes, strain accumulation, and recurrence characteristics of strong intraplate earthquakes in China has been substantially improved. These technological advances have significantly enhanced the accuracy with which key parameters—including fault slip rates, paleoseismic sequences, and earthquake recurrence intervals—can be constrained, thereby providing increasingly reliable scientific evidence for long-term seismic hazard assessment. Consequently, earthquake geology has evolved from a discipline focused primarily on qualitative description to one that emphasizes quantitative analysis and mechanistic understanding, while fostering closer integration among field observations, numerical modeling, and theoretical investigations.

Overall, earthquake geology research in China is exhibiting a clear trend toward data-intensive, multi-scale, and internationally collaborative development. The continuous accumulation of observational datasets, the integration of multiple spatial scales ranging from detailed fault-zone structures to continental-scale tectonic block dynamics, and the expanding scope of international scientific collaboration collectively reflect the ongoing maturation of the discipline. The findings of this study provide a systematic reference for future disciplinary development, talent cultivation, and earthquake risk prevention and mitigation, and offer valuable insights for earthquake geology research in other intraplate regions worldwide. Based on these findings, this paper recommends further strengthening national investment in fundamental earthquake disaster-prevention infrastructure, particularly large-scale active-fault mapping, to consolidate the data foundation of the discipline and provide stronger scientific support for earthquake risk reduction in the new era. Sustained long-term commitment to these fundamental efforts will be essential for ensuring the continued advancement of earthquake geology in China.