QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Missoula, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Missoula in the 24 hours to 11:58 pm MST (06:58 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 76 km (47 mi) NE, at 4:46 am MDT on 5 July 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 131 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Missoula

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) west-northwest of Missoula, MT, at 12:17 am MDT on 13 August 2025 (06:17 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SSW of Alberton, Montana

36 km (23 mi) WNW of Missoula, MT

12:17 am MDT, Aug 13, 2025 · · 13 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Missoula County 46 kmMineral County 49 kmLake County 82 kmClearwater County 94 kmGranite County 102 kmRavalli County 103 kmSanders County 103 kmShoshone County 114 kmPowell 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
12:17 am MDT on 13 August 2025 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) west-northwest of Missoula, MT · earthquakes near Missoula
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Missoula County, 46 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 456 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 Missoula, 39 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Frenchtown.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 970,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 86× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 46.9613, -114.4877. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Missoula County, MT 46 km (28 mi) E earthquakes near Missoula County
Mineral County, MT 49 km (30 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mineral County
Lake County, MT 82 km (51 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lake County
Clearwater County, ID 94 km (59 mi) WSW earthquakes near Clearwater County
Granite County, MT 102 km (64 mi) SE earthquakes near Granite County
Ravalli County, MT 103 km (64 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ravalli County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.4 4 km SSE of Alberton, Montana
  2. 1.9 2 km NNE of Alberton, Montana
  3. 1.5 6 km S of Frenchtown, Montana
  4. 1.7 6 km S of Frenchtown, Montana
  5. 1.9 6 km S of Huson, Montana
  6. 1.9 3 km SSW of Alberton, Montana
  7. 1.7 2 km ENE of Alberton, Montana
  8. 2.2 2 km NE of Alberton, Montana
  9. 1.7 4 km WNW of Wye, 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.