UNLABELLED: The diversity patterns and drivers of soil microbial communities across spatial distances have been extensively investigated over the recent years. However, whether microbial communities in surface and subsurface soils showed an identical spatial distribution pattern at a small regional scale has not been fully confirmed. For this, we investigated the linkage between soil water content (SWC), pH as well as nutrient contents and soil bacterial diversity and communities in different soil layers in the Longmenshan fault zone in Sichuan Province, China. Our investigation indicated that surface soil bacterial communities were positively correlated with SWC and pH ( IMPORTANCE: Soil water content served as the main driver of changes in surface soil bacterial diversity and community. Spatial structure had a greater influence on surface soil bacterial communities and diversity. Soil depth had a significantly higher effect on soil bacterial community composition and network properties than site. Our results may provide insights into the impact of microbial functions on biodiversity and ecosystem service functions.