QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Clancy, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Clancy in the 24 hours to 2:51 pm MST (21:51 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 9 km (5 mi) N, at 11:34 am MDT on 14 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Clancy

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 2 km (2 mi) east-southeast of Clancy, MT, at 1:12 am MDT on 20 May 2026 (07:12 UTC), 6.5 km deep.

USGS: 2 km ESE of Clancy, Montana

1:12 am MDT, May 20, 2026 · · 6.5 km deep · released about 110 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Clancy Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jefferson County 38 kmBroadwater County 38 kmMeagher County 81 kmLewis and Clark County 81 kmSilver Bow County 82 kmPowell County 86 kmDeer Lodge County 99 kmCascade County 106 kmGranite County 113 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
1:12 am MDT on 20 May 2026 ()
Where
2 km (2 mi) east-southeast of Clancy, MT · earthquakes near Clancy
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
6.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jefferson County, 38 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 175 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Clancy, 2 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Helena 16 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 110 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 140,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 99,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 8.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 110 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 lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.1 The 1935 Helena, Montana Earthquakes (Mainshock) · 28 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 2 km ENE of Helena, Montana · 16 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1935 Helena, Montana Earthquakes (Largest Aftershock) · 13 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 2 km ENE of Helena, Montana · 16 km NNW 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 46.4555, -111.9577. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jefferson County, MT 38 km (23 mi) SSW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Broadwater County, MT 38 km (24 mi) ESE earthquakes near Broadwater County
Meagher County, MT 81 km (50 mi) E earthquakes near Meagher County
Lewis and Clark County, MT 81 km (50 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lewis and Clark County
Silver Bow County, MT 82 km (51 mi) SW earthquakes near Silver Bow County
Powell County, MT 86 km (53 mi) WNW earthquakes near Powell County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 8 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  2. 0.8 10 km NW of Helena Valley Northwest, Montana
  3. 1.1 14 km NNE of Marysville, Montana
  4. 1.4 5 km WSW of Elliston, Montana
  5. 2.1 6 km WSW of Elliston, Montana
  6. 1.7 8 km W of Townsend, Montana
  7. 1.6 2 km SE of South Hills, Montana
  8. 1.5 8 km W of Townsend, Montana
  9. 1.5 16 km NE of Helena Valley Northwest, Montana
  10. 1.7 8 km W of Townsend, Montana
  11. 2.4 21 km SSE of Craig, Montana
  12. 1.6 9 km W of Townsend, Montana
  13. 1.5 9 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  14. 1.5 1 km SSE of South Hills, Montana
  15. 1.7 0 km NNW of South Hills, 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.