Earthquake near Plains, MT

USGS: 6 km E of Weeksville, Montana

9:57 am MDT, Apr 13, 2017 · 2017-04-13 15:57 UTC · 8.6 km deep · released about 18 lb of TNT

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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: 9:57 am MDT on 13 April 2017 (2017-04-13 15:57 UTC)
Where: 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Plains, MT · earthquakes near Plains
Magnitude: M 1.9 (ml)
Depth: 8.6 km below the surface
Felt: no reports yet
Nearest: Sanders County, 34 km NW
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS 3459 days ago · we first saw it 3459 days ago

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Plains, MT, at 9:57 am MDT on 13 April 2017 (15:57 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 18 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 840,000× the energy of this one
Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 600,000× the energy of this one
Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 53× the energy of this one
This earthquake M 1.9 about 18 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

Map loads when it scrolls into view

Epicentre 47.5133, -114.9132. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

Place	Distance	Direction from the epicentre
Sanders County, MT	34 km (21 mi)	NW	earthquakes near Sanders County
Mineral County, MT	45 km (28 mi)	SSW	earthquakes near Mineral County
Lake County, MT	64 km (40 mi)	ENE	earthquakes near Lake County
Shoshone County, ID	75 km (47 mi)	WSW	earthquakes near Shoshone County
Missoula County, MT	94 km (58 mi)	SE	earthquakes near Missoula County
Flathead County, MT	108 km (67 mi)	NE	earthquakes near Flathead County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

1.7 21 km SSE of Happys Inn, Montana 18:29 UTC
1.6 16 km WSW of Kerr, Montana 11:44 UTC
2.0 17 km W of Niarada, Montana 20:28 UTC
1.6 4 km NW of Niarada, Montana 17:27 UTC
1.8 17 km WNW of Niarada, Montana 22:41 UTC
1.8 6 km NNW of Plains, Montana 12:42 UTC
2.5 18 km WNW of Dixon, Montana 06:44 UTC
2.6 13 km WSW of Saint Regis, Montana 11:09 UTC
2.2 8 km WNW of Niarada, Montana 05:03 UTC
1.8 12 km E of Paradise, Montana 04:20 UTC
1.6 8 km NNE of Paradise, Montana 16:57 UTC
1.9 11 km SE of Hot Springs, Montana 23:59 UTC
1.9 8 km NNW of Niarada, Montana 16:34 UTC
1.9 15 km ESE of Riverbend, Montana 17:40 UTC
1.9 5 km ENE of Weeksville, Montana 08:09 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 01:37 UTC. 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.