QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Bozeman, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Bozeman in the 24 hours to 8:27 am MST (15:27 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 2.0 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) north of Bozeman, MT, at 11:26 pm MDT on 17 March 2025 (05:26 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 5 km NNE of Springhill, Montana

22 km (14 mi) NNE of Bozeman, MT

11:26 pm MDT, Mar 17, 2025 · · 12 km deep · released about 29 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bozeman Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Gallatin County 42 kmPark County 59 kmBroadwater County 63 kmMeagher County 79 kmSweet Grass County 82 kmJefferson County 86 kmMadison County 94 kmWheatland 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
11:26 pm MDT on 17 March 2025 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) north of Bozeman, MT · earthquakes near Bozeman
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Gallatin County, 42 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 603 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Bozeman, 22 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: Belgrade, Manhattan, Four Corners.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 29 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 520,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 370,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 33× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 29 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 4.2 on 2019-08-16 — about 2,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.6 The 1925 Clarkston Valley, Montana Earthquake · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 45 km WNW 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 45.8798, -110.9973. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Gallatin County, MT 42 km (26 mi) SSW earthquakes near Gallatin County
Park County, MT 59 km (36 mi) SE earthquakes near Park County
Broadwater County, MT 63 km (39 mi) NW earthquakes near Broadwater County
Meagher County, MT 79 km (49 mi) N earthquakes near Meagher County
Sweet Grass County, MT 82 km (51 mi) E earthquakes near Sweet Grass County
Jefferson County, MT 86 km (54 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 29 km N of Sedan, Montana
  2. 1.6 4 km WNW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana
  3. 1.0 6 km SSW of Toston, Montana
  4. 1.1 6 km SSW of Toston, Montana
  5. 2.3 6 km SSW of Toston, Montana
  6. 1.7 7 km S of Toston, Montana
  7. 1.2 5 km SSE of Bozeman, Montana
  8. 0.8 1 km NW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana
  9. 2.1 4 km NW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana
  10. 1.6 6 km NW of Logan, Montana
  11. 1.5 4 km NE of Three Forks, Montana
  12. 1.7 4 km SW of Churchill, Montana
  13. 1.6 6 km NE of Three Forks, Montana
  14. 1.6 2 km E of Churchill, Montana
  15. 2.1 6 km NE of Logan, 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.