QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Ronan, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Ronan in the 24 hours to 5:09 pm MST (00:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 20 km (12 mi) SE, at 4:57 am MST on 19 January 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ronan

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) east-northeast of Ronan, MT, at 8:28 pm MST on 6 March 2024 (03:28 UTC), 17 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km ENE of Ronan, Montana

8:28 pm MST, Mar 6, 2024 · · 17 km deep · released about 9 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 11 kmMissoula County 60 kmFlathead County 82 kmSanders County 92 kmMineral County 96 kmPowell County 113 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
8:28 pm MST on 6 March 2024 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) east-northeast of Ronan, MT · earthquakes near Ronan
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Lake County, 11 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Mission fault, 2 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 861 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 Ronan, 9 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Pablo, Polson.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9 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 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 9 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

Epicentre 47.5632, -113.9903. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, MT 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Lake County
Missoula County, MT 60 km (37 mi) S earthquakes near Missoula County
Flathead County, MT 82 km (51 mi) N earthquakes near Flathead County
Sanders County, MT 92 km (57 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sanders County
Mineral County, MT 96 km (59 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mineral County
Powell County, MT 113 km (70 mi) SE earthquakes near Powell County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.4 4 km NE of Bear Dance, Montana
  2. 1.8 3 km NE of Bear Dance, Montana
  3. 1.1 2 km E of Bear Dance, Montana
  4. 1.4 16 km NW of Old Agency, Montana
  5. -0.0 19 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  6. 0.9 15 km SE of Condon, Montana
  7. 0.9 9 km WSW of Condon, Montana
  8. 1.9 15 km N of Seeley Lake, Montana
  9. 1.9 18 km E of Saint Ignatius, Montana
  10. 2.4 9 km SSW of Bear Dance, Montana
  11. 1.6 1 km SSW of Dayton, Montana
  12. 1.8 17 km SSE of Swan Lake, Montana
  13. 2.6 13 km ESE of Kicking Horse, Montana
  14. 2.0 15 km ENE of Ronan, Montana
  15. 2.1 5 km WNW of Saint Ignatius, 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.