QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Cut Bank, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Cut Bank in the 24 hours to 5:30 am MST (12:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 33 km (20 mi) NNW, at 8:12 am MDT on 22 October 2018, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cut Bank

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) east-southeast of Cut Bank, MT, at 10:46 pm MST on 22 January 2025 (05:46 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 9 km ESE of Cut Bank, Montana

10:46 pm MST, Jan 22, 2025 · · 12 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Toole County 35 kmPondera County 42 kmGlacier County 58 kmLiberty County 86 kmTeton County 88 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
10:46 pm MST on 22 January 2025 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) east-southeast of Cut Bank, MT · earthquakes near Cut Bank
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
Toole County, 35 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 657 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 Cut Bank, 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: Shelby.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 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 2,200,000× 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 6.8 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

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 48.6063, -112.2093. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Toole County, MT 35 km (22 mi) E earthquakes near Toole County
Pondera County, MT 42 km (26 mi) S earthquakes near Pondera County
Glacier County, MT 58 km (36 mi) W earthquakes near Glacier County
Liberty County, MT 86 km (54 mi) E earthquakes near Liberty County
Teton County, MT 88 km (54 mi) S earthquakes near Teton County

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

Aftershocks so far

1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 12 km WSW of Sunburst, 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.