QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Salmon, ID

No earthquake was likely felt in Salmon in the 24 hours to 3:10 pm MST (22:10 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 102 km (64 mi) S, at 11:05 am MDT on 8 June 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 27 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Salmon

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) southwest of Salmon, ID, at 2:04 am MDT on 20 June 2018 (08:04 UTC), 16 km deep.

USGS: 38 km N of Challis, Idaho

2:04 am MDT, Jun 20, 2018 · · 16 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lemhi County 32 kmCuster County 64 kmValley County 105 kmBeaverhead County 114 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
2:04 am MDT on 20 June 2018 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) southwest of Salmon, ID · earthquakes near Salmon
Idaho today
every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lemhi County, 32 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3067 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Salmon, 47 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 100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.6 18 km ESE of Challis, Idaho · 48 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 9 km SE of Challis, Idaho · 47 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 9 km E of Challis, Idaho · 41 km SSE 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 44.8512, -114.2840. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lemhi County, ID 32 km (20 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lemhi County
Custer County, ID 64 km (40 mi) S earthquakes near Custer County
Valley County, ID 105 km (65 mi) W earthquakes near Valley County
Beaverhead County, MT 114 km (71 mi) ENE earthquakes near Beaverhead County
Idaho County, ID 144 km (90 mi) NW earthquakes near Idaho County
Boise County, ID 149 km (92 mi) SW earthquakes near Boise County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 6 km NNW of Challis, Idaho
  2. 1.9 8 km NW of Challis, Idaho
  3. 1.9 42 km N of Challis, Idaho
  4. 2.1 Idaho-Montana border region
  5. 1.6 7 km NW of Challis, Idaho
  6. 1.9 8 km NNW of Challis, Idaho
  7. 2.8 12 km NNW of Challis, Idaho
  8. 2.2 9 km NW of Challis, Idaho
  9. 2.6 11 km NNW of Challis, Idaho
  10. 3.0 11 km NW of Challis, Idaho
  11. 2.4 9 km NNW of Challis, Idaho
  12. 1.8 7 km NW of Challis, Idaho
  13. 2.1 8 km NW of Challis, Idaho
  14. 2.2 7 km NNW of Challis, Idaho
  15. 2.3 7 km NW of Challis, Idaho

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.