Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6ml
Earthquake near Orchard Homes, MT
No earthquake was likely felt in Orchard Homes in the 24 hours to 8:33 pm MST (03:33 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 79 km (49 mi) NE, at 4:46 am MDT on 5 July 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 131 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Orchard Homes
This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) west of Orchard Homes, MT, at 10:19 am MDT on 8 September 2016 (16:19 UTC), 3.7 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 25 km SW of Alberton, Montana
51 km (32 mi) W of Missoula, MT
- When
- 10:19 am MDT on 8 September 2016 ()
- Where
- 50 km (31 mi) west of Orchard Homes, MT · earthquakes near Orchard Homes
- Montana today
- every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 3.7 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity I
- Nearest
- Mineral County, 45 km NW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2008 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Orchard Homes, MT
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Orchard Homes, MT. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Orchard Homes, 50 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 lb of TNT
Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.
For this area
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.
Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.
Where
Epicentre 46.8278, -114.6982. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral County, MT | 45 km (28 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Mineral County |
| Missoula County, MT | 65 km (40 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Missoula County |
| Clearwater County, ID | 75 km (46 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Clearwater County |
| Ravalli County, MT | 95 km (59 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Ravalli County |
| Lake County, MT | 102 km (63 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Lake County |
| Shoshone County, ID | 107 km (66 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Shoshone County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
26 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.4 4 km SSE of Alberton, Montana
- 1.9 2 km NNE of Alberton, Montana
- 1.5 6 km S of Frenchtown, Montana
- 1.7 6 km S of Frenchtown, Montana
- 1.9 6 km S of Huson, Montana
- 1.9 3 km SSW of Alberton, Montana
- 1.7 2 km ENE of Alberton, Montana
- 2.2 2 km NE of Alberton, Montana
- 1.7 4 km WNW of Wye, Montana
- 1.7 4 km SSW of Alberton, Montana
- 2.1 3 km S of Alberton, Montana
- 2.2 1 km SE of Alberton, Montana
- 2.2 36 km W of Pinesdale, Montana
- 1.8 1 km SE of Alberton, Montana
- 1.9 18 km WSW of Alberton, Montana
Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.