QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Bozeman, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Bozeman in the 24 hours to 9:54 pm MST (04:54 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 17 km (10 mi) NW, at 7:42 am MDT on 1 June 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 20 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Bozeman

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) northwest of Bozeman, MT, at 1:02 am MDT on 6 April 2017 (07:02 UTC), 7.8 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km W of Ponderosa Pines, Montana

48 km (30 mi) NW of Bozeman, MT

1:02 am MDT, Apr 6, 2017 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Bozeman Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Broadwater County 33 kmJefferson County 50 kmGallatin County 61 kmMeagher County 72 kmMadison County 88 kmPark County 94 kmSilver Bow County 97 kmSweet Grass County 117 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
1:02 am MDT on 6 April 2017 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) northwest of Bozeman, MT · earthquakes near Bozeman
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Broadwater County, 33 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2008 days ago

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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Bozeman, 49 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.

Likely felt in: Three Forks 19 km, intensity III · Manhattan 21 km, intensity III · Townsend 33 km, intensity II · Belgrade 34 km, intensity II · Bozeman 49 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.7× more

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 lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.6 The 1925 Clarkston Valley, Montana Earthquake · 9 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 9 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 9 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 9 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 9 km NW of this epicentre

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 46.0350, -111.4208. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Broadwater County, MT 33 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Broadwater County
Jefferson County, MT 50 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Gallatin County, MT 61 km (38 mi) SSE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Meagher County, MT 72 km (45 mi) NNE earthquakes near Meagher County
Madison County, MT 88 km (55 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madison County
Park County, MT 94 km (58 mi) SE earthquakes near Park County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

54 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 2 km WNW of Manhattan, Montana
  2. 2.8 5 km SSE of Logan, Montana
  3. 1.6 2 km WNW of Manhattan, Montana
  4. 2.5 4 km NW of Manhattan, Montana
  5. 1.6 7 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  6. 3.3 3 km WSW of Manhattan, Montana
  7. 2.2 0 km E of Manhattan, Montana
  8. 1.5 2 km WNW of Manhattan, Montana
  9. 2.2 2 km WNW of Manhattan, Montana
  10. 1.8 7 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  11. 1.5 1 km WNW of Manhattan, Montana
  12. 1.9 2 km W of Manhattan, Montana
  13. 2.8 3 km WNW of Manhattan, Montana
  14. 2.0 1 km W of Manhattan, Montana
  15. 1.8 3 km N of Logan, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.