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 7:15 am MST (14:15 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 46 km (28 mi) south-southeast of Bozeman, MT, at 3:32 am MDT on 26 March 2024 (09:32 UTC), 19 km deep.

USGS: 9 km WSW of South Glastonbury, Montana

46 km (29 mi) SSE of Bozeman, MT

3:32 am MDT, Mar 26, 2024 · · 19 km deep · released about 6.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Gallatin County 33 kmPark County 36 kmMadison County 78 kmSweet Grass County 96 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
3:32 am MDT on 26 March 2024 ()
Where
46 km (28 mi) south-southeast of Bozeman, MT · earthquakes near Bozeman
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Gallatin County, 33 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Emigrant fault, 7 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 960 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, 46 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 6.6 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 2,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.6 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 13 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming · 48 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 45.2773, -110.9153. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Gallatin County, MT 33 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Gallatin County
Park County, MT 36 km (22 mi) NE earthquakes near Park County
Madison County, MT 78 km (49 mi) W earthquakes near Madison County
Sweet Grass County, MT 96 km (60 mi) NE earthquakes near Sweet Grass County
Broadwater County, MT 125 km (78 mi) NNW earthquakes near Broadwater County
Fremont County, ID 126 km (78 mi) SSW earthquakes near Fremont County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.0 8 km SE of Big Sky, Montana
  2. 1.2 5 km SSE of Bozeman, Montana
  3. 1.2 21 km ESE of Pray, Montana
  4. 1.7 13 km S of Bozeman, Montana
  5. 1.5 14 km NNW of Emigrant, Montana
  6. 1.9 26 km NNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  7. 2.0 14 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  8. 1.6 7 km NNW of Emigrant, Montana
  9. 1.5 23 km WNW of Corwin Springs, Montana
  10. 2.3 23 km WNW of Corwin Springs, Montana
  11. 1.9 23 km WNW of Corwin Springs, Montana
  12. 2.0 23 km WNW of Corwin Springs, 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.