In the forward area of the Tianjingshan fault zone, a well-defined Miaoshan fault-fold belt has developed, comprising reverse strike-slip faults and associated folds. The Miaoshan piedmont fault, a key structural component within this belt, remains poorly understood in terms of its detailed architecture and Quaternary deformation history in its southern segment. Shallow seismic profiling reveals that the fault displaces the subsurface reflection horizons T₁ and T₂, confirming it as a SW-dipping listric reverse fault. High-resolution remote sensing analysis indicates a lack of distinct linear geomorphic features along the fault trace, with extensive loess cover obscuring surface features—evidence consistent with limited neotectonic activity. Field geological investigations, combined with optically stimulated luminescence dating, demonstrate that older strata have been thrust over the upper Late Pleistocene deposits. Integrated analysis thus indicates that the southern Miaoshan piedmont fault is a NW-SE-striking, SW-dipping reverse strike-slip fault with a listric geometry that flattens with depth. The most recent tectonic activity of this fault is constrained to the late Late Pleistocene. This structure likely formed due to tectonic strain transfer associated with the eastward expansion of the Xiangshan—Tianjingshan fault system. Furthermore, it has not been active since the late Late Pleistocene, indicating a low potential for generating moderate-to-strong earthquakes in the future.