QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Belgrade, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Belgrade in the 24 hours to 7:08 am MST (14:08 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 8 km (5 mi) WSW, at 4:23 pm MDT on 28 September 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Belgrade

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) north-northwest of Belgrade, MT, at 2:59 am MDT on 22 October 2026 (08:59 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 7 km S of Toston, Montana

56 km (35 mi) NNW of Bozeman, MT

2:59 am MDT, Oct 22, 2026 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Broadwater County 25 kmJefferson County 47 kmMeagher County 67 kmGallatin County 69 kmMadison County 94 kmSilver Bow County 96 kmPark County 101 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
2:59 am MDT on 22 October 2026 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) north-northwest of Belgrade, MT · earthquakes near Belgrade
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Broadwater County, 25 km N
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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Belgrade, 42 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: Townsend, Three Forks, Manhattan.

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 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 930,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 83× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2019-08-16 — about 5,200 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 · 5 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 5 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 5 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 5 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 5 km SW 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 46.1067, -111.4525. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Broadwater County, MT 25 km (16 mi) N earthquakes near Broadwater County
Jefferson County, MT 47 km (29 mi) W earthquakes near Jefferson County
Meagher County, MT 67 km (42 mi) NE earthquakes near Meagher County
Gallatin County, MT 69 km (43 mi) SSE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Madison County, MT 94 km (58 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madison County
Silver Bow County, MT 96 km (60 mi) WSW earthquakes near Silver Bow County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 4 km WNW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana
  2. 1.5 8 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  3. 1.0 6 km SSW of Toston, Montana
  4. 1.2 18 km E of Townsend, Montana
  5. 1.1 6 km SSW of Toston, Montana
  6. 2.3 6 km SSW of Toston, 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.