QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Seeley Lake, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Seeley Lake in the 24 hours to 12:14 pm MST (19:14 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 26 km (16 mi) ESE, at 8:34 pm MDT on 4 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 4 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Seeley Lake

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Seeley Lake, MT, at 8:10 am MDT on 17 October 2024 (14:10 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 12 km SW of Seeley Lake, Montana

40 km (25 mi) NE of Missoula, MT

8:10 am MDT, Oct 17, 2024 · · 11 km deep · released about 5.7 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Missoula County 23 kmPowell County 58 kmLake County 71 kmGranite County 79 kmLewis and Clark County 92 kmMineral County 112 kmDeer Lodge County 117 kmRavalli County 119 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
8:10 am MDT on 17 October 2024 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) southwest of Seeley Lake, MT · earthquakes near Seeley Lake
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Missoula County, 23 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 755 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 Seeley Lake, 13 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 5.7 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.7 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 47.0952, -113.6033. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Missoula County, MT 23 km (14 mi) WSW earthquakes near Missoula County
Powell County, MT 58 km (36 mi) ESE earthquakes near Powell County
Lake County, MT 71 km (44 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lake County
Granite County, MT 79 km (49 mi) S earthquakes near Granite County
Lewis and Clark County, MT 92 km (57 mi) E earthquakes near Lewis and Clark County
Mineral County, MT 112 km (70 mi) W earthquakes near Mineral County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.0 22 km N of Ovando, Montana
  2. 2.3 22 km N of Ovando, Montana
  3. 1.2 22 km SW of Ovando, Montana
  4. 1.1 27 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  5. 0.9 15 km SE of Condon, Montana
  6. 3.1 5 km NW of Ovando, Montana
  7. 0.9 9 km WSW of Condon, Montana
  8. 3.2 3 km NE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  9. 2.4 32 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  10. 2.6 31 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  11. 2.1 25 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  12. 1.9 15 km N of Seeley Lake, Montana
  13. 1.9 18 km E of Saint Ignatius, Montana
  14. 2.6 13 km ESE of Kicking Horse, Montana
  15. 3.1 27 km NE of Seeley Lake, 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.