QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Bozeman, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Bozeman in the 24 hours to 10:27 am MST (17:27 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) west of Bozeman, MT, at 9:16 am MDT on 12 April 2023 (15:16 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: Western Montana

25 km (16 mi) W of Bozeman, MT

9:16 am MDT, Apr 12, 2023 · · 12 km deep · released about 7.8 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bozeman Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Gallatin County 28 kmMadison County 61 kmBroadwater County 68 kmJefferson County 69 kmPark County 72 kmSilver Bow County 101 kmMeagher County 102 kmSweet Grass County 111 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
9:16 am MDT on 12 April 2023 ()
Where
27 km (17 mi) west of Bozeman, MT · earthquakes near Bozeman
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Gallatin County, 28 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1303 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Bozeman, 27 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Manhattan, Belgrade, Four Corners, Three Forks.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.8 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 1,900,000× 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 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.8 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 4.2 on 2019-08-16 — about 7,700 times the energy of this one.

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 · 41 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 41 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 41 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 41 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 41 km NNW 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 45.7258, -111.3748. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Gallatin County, MT 28 km (18 mi) SE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Madison County, MT 61 km (38 mi) SW earthquakes near Madison County
Broadwater County, MT 68 km (42 mi) N earthquakes near Broadwater County
Jefferson County, MT 69 km (43 mi) NW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Park County, MT 72 km (44 mi) ESE earthquakes near Park County
Silver Bow County, MT 101 km (63 mi) W earthquakes near Silver Bow County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 6 km NE of Three Forks, Montana
  2. 2.1 7 km NNE of Manhattan, Montana
  3. 1.9 5 km NNW of Logan, Montana
  4. 2.3 3 km NNW of Pony, Montana
  5. 2.0 2 km NNW of Pony, Montana
  6. 1.8 7 km NW of Logan, Montana
  7. 2.2 6 km NNW of Logan, Montana
  8. 2.4 8 km SSE of Pony, Montana
  9. 1.9 7 km N of Manhattan, Montana
  10. 1.5 6 km NE of Three Forks, Montana
  11. 2.0 5 km NNE of Springhill, Montana
  12. 1.8 5 km SW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana
  13. 1.8 5 km NW of Logan, Montana
  14. 2.4 10 km E of Toston, Montana
  15. 1.8 8 km S of Ponderosa Pines, 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.