QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.4ml

Earthquake near Missoula, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Missoula in the 24 hours to 12:34 pm MST (19:34 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 1.4 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) west-northwest of Missoula, MT, at 1:29 am MDT on 18 October 2026 (07:29 UTC), 8.5 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SSE of Alberton, Montana

34 km (21 mi) WNW of Missoula, MT

1:29 am MDT, Oct 18, 2026 · · 8.5 km deep · released about 3.5 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Missoula County 43 kmMineral County 52 kmLake County 81 kmClearwater County 97 kmGranite County 100 kmRavalli County 102 kmSanders County 104 kmPowell County 116 kmShoshone County 117 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
1:29 am MDT on 18 October 2026 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) west-northwest of Missoula, MT · earthquakes near Missoula
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.4 (ml)
Depth
8.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Missoula County, 43 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 20 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. 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 3.5 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 4,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 270× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.4 about 3.5 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, -114.4512. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Missoula County, MT 43 km (27 mi) E earthquakes near Missoula County
Mineral County, MT 52 km (32 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mineral County
Lake County, MT 81 km (50 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lake County
Clearwater County, ID 97 km (60 mi) WSW earthquakes near Clearwater County
Granite County, MT 100 km (62 mi) SE earthquakes near Granite County
Ravalli County, MT 102 km (63 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ravalli County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.