QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Dillon, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Dillon in the 24 hours to 4:59 am MST (11:59 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 14 km (9 mi) N, at 2:45 pm MDT on 7 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Dillon

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) west-southwest of Dillon, MT, at 5:29 pm MST on 10 February 2020 (00:29 UTC), 3.6 km deep.

USGS: 36 km WSW of Dillon, Montana

5:29 pm MST, Feb 10, 2020 · · 3.6 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Beaverhead County 15 kmLemhi County 66 kmSilver Bow County 93 kmMadison County 95 kmClark County 108 kmDeer Lodge County 109 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
5:29 pm MST on 10 February 2020 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) west-southwest of Dillon, MT · earthquakes near Dillon
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
3.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Beaverhead County, 15 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2467 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 Dillon, 37 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 16 km N of Dillon, Montana · 46 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 19 km NW of Lima, Montana · 46 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 22 km NW of Lima, Montana · 43 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 45.1125, -113.0823. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Beaverhead County, MT 15 km (9 mi) E earthquakes near Beaverhead County
Lemhi County, ID 66 km (41 mi) WSW earthquakes near Lemhi County
Silver Bow County, MT 93 km (58 mi) NNE earthquakes near Silver Bow County
Madison County, MT 95 km (59 mi) ENE earthquakes near Madison County
Clark County, ID 108 km (67 mi) SSE earthquakes near Clark County
Deer Lodge County, MT 109 km (68 mi) N earthquakes near Deer Lodge 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. 1.9 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  2. 2.1 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  3. 3.3 41 km NE of Leadore, Idaho
  4. 2.2 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  5. 1.8 Idaho-Montana border region
  6. 1.8 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  7. 2.3 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  8. 1.6 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  9. 1.6 41 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  10. 2.2 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  11. 1.8 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  12. 1.8 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  13. 2.0 Idaho-Montana border region
  14. 2.1 40 km SW of Dillon, Montana
  15. 2.3 40 km SW of Dillon, 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.