QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Big Sky, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Big Sky in the 24 hours to 10:01 am MST (17:01 UTC). The last one was M 3.7, 68 km (42 mi) SE, at 7:22 am MDT on 28 October 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 11 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Big Sky

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) southwest of Big Sky, MT, at 9:57 am MST on 8 January 2020 (16:57 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 30 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana

9:57 am MST, Jan 8, 2020 · · 12 km deep · released about 33 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Big Sky Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madison County 33 kmGallatin County 69 kmBeaverhead County 90 kmFremont County 95 kmClark County 97 kmPark County 106 kmSilver Bow County 118 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
9:57 am MST on 8 January 2020 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) southwest of Big Sky, MT · earthquakes near Big Sky
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madison County, 33 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Madison fault, 12 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2499 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Sky, 40 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 33 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 450,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 29× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 33 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.3 on 2016-06-13 — about 2,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.1 30 km SSW of Big Sky, Montana · 15 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 32 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 24 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 26 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 30 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 31 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 29 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 39 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 39 km S 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 45.0523, -111.7505. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madison County, MT 33 km (20 mi) NNW earthquakes near Madison County
Gallatin County, MT 69 km (43 mi) NE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Beaverhead County, MT 90 km (56 mi) W earthquakes near Beaverhead County
Fremont County, ID 95 km (59 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fremont County
Clark County, ID 97 km (60 mi) SSW earthquakes near Clark County
Park County, MT 106 km (66 mi) ENE earthquakes near Park County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 2 km NW of Alder, Montana
  2. 1.7 3 km NW of Alder, Montana
  3. 2.1 4 km NNW of Alder, Montana
  4. 2.2 3 km NW of Alder, Montana
  5. 2.3 41 km NW of Island Park, Idaho
  6. 2.0 36 km NNE of Spencer, Idaho
  7. 1.8 27 km SE of Virginia City, Montana
  8. 2.0 29 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana
  9. 2.4 27 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  10. 1.6 28 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  11. 1.6 27 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  12. 1.6 17 km NNW of Ennis, Montana
  13. 1.6 32 km S of Ennis, Montana
  14. 1.6 23 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  15. 2.0 22 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, 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.