Salton Trough
 is defined by the US Geological Survey as a basin existing east of the Peninsular Ranges of Southern California and west of the San Andreas Fault in the vicinity of the Salton Sea. The Transverse Range at San Gorgonio Pass bounds it on the north. The southern end is in 
The Salton Trough is an active tectonic pull-apart basin. It lies within the Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego counties of southeastern California.

The Salton Trough is a result of crustal stretching and sinking by the combined actions of the San Andreas Fault and the East Pacific Rise. The Salton Sink is the topographic low area within the Salton Trough.

The Brawley seismic zone forms the southeast end of the basin and connects the San Andreas Fault system with the Imperial Fault Zone to the south. The Salton Buttes are rhyolite lava domes within the basin which were active 10,300 (± 1000) years BP.[