QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Deer Lodge, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Deer Lodge in the 24 hours to 2:55 pm MST (21:55 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 33 km (20 mi) N, at 11:22 am MST on 9 December 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Deer Lodge

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) north-northwest of Deer Lodge, MT, at 1:05 pm MDT on 3 October 2024 (19:05 UTC), 6.7 km deep.

USGS: 10 km NW of Garrison, Montana

1:05 pm MDT, Oct 3, 2024 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 20 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Powell County 27 kmGranite County 46 kmDeer Lodge County 59 kmLewis and Clark County 70 kmSilver Bow County 80 kmJefferson County 83 kmMissoula County 90 kmRavalli County 109 kmBroadwater 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
1:05 pm MDT on 3 October 2024 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) north-northwest of Deer Lodge, MT · earthquakes near Deer Lodge
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Powell County, 27 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 768 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Deer Lodge, 26 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 20 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 760,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 540,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 48× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 20 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 5.8 on 2017-07-06 — about 760,000 times the energy of this one.

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 46.5983, -112.8968. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Powell County, MT 27 km (17 mi) N earthquakes near Powell County
Granite County, MT 46 km (29 mi) WSW earthquakes near Granite County
Deer Lodge County, MT 59 km (37 mi) SSW earthquakes near Deer Lodge County
Lewis and Clark County, MT 70 km (44 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lewis and Clark County
Silver Bow County, MT 80 km (50 mi) SSE earthquakes near Silver Bow County
Jefferson County, MT 83 km (52 mi) SE earthquakes near Jefferson 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. 1.2 22 km SW of Ovando, Montana
  2. 1.0 15 km SE of Lincoln, Montana
  3. 1.7 14 km ESE of Lincoln, Montana
  4. 1.4 5 km WSW of Elliston, Montana
  5. 2.1 6 km WSW of Elliston, Montana
  6. 1.2 17 km WNW of Lincoln, Montana
  7. 0.9 12 km ESE of Lincoln, Montana
  8. 1.3 14 km ESE of Lincoln, Montana
  9. 1.2 14 km ESE of Lincoln, Montana
  10. 1.6 11 km ESE of Lincoln, Montana
  11. 1.7 13 km SE of Lincoln, Montana
  12. 1.7 16 km W of Lincoln, Montana
  13. 2.4 7 km SSE of Lincoln, Montana
  14. 2.0 7 km SSE of Lincoln, Montana
  15. 1.5 14 km SE of Lincoln, 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.