QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Clinton, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Clinton in the 24 hours to 10:35 am MST (17:35 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 30 km (19 mi) ENE, at 8:06 am MDT on 15 August 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Clinton

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Clinton, MT, at 12:30 pm MDT on 26 March 2019 (18:30 UTC), 9.5 km deep.

USGS: 3 km NNE of Clinton, Montana

26 km (16 mi) ESE of Missoula, MT

12:30 pm MDT, Mar 26, 2019 · · 9.5 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Missoula County 29 kmGranite County 50 kmPowell County 59 kmRavalli County 86 kmDeer Lodge County 90 kmLake County 98 kmLewis and Clark County 106 kmMineral 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
12:30 pm MDT on 26 March 2019 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Clinton, MT · earthquakes near Clinton
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
9.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Missoula County, 29 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2713 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Clinton, 4 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: Bonner-West Riverside, East Missoula, Missoula, Orchard Homes, Lolo.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 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 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 46.8038, -113.7025. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Missoula County, MT 29 km (18 mi) NNW earthquakes near Missoula County
Granite County, MT 50 km (31 mi) SSE earthquakes near Granite County
Powell County, MT 59 km (37 mi) E earthquakes near Powell County
Ravalli County, MT 86 km (54 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ravalli County
Deer Lodge County, MT 90 km (56 mi) SSE earthquakes near Deer Lodge County
Lake County, MT 98 km (61 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lake County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.2 22 km SW of Ovando, Montana
  2. 3.1 5 km NW of Ovando, Montana
  3. 3.2 3 km NE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  4. 1.5 6 km S of Frenchtown, Montana
  5. 1.7 6 km S of Frenchtown, Montana
  6. 1.7 4 km WNW of Wye, Montana
  7. 2.9 22 km WSW of Ovando, Montana
  8. 2.7 6 km SSE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  9. 1.9 6 km SSE of Seeley Lake, Montana
  10. 1.5 12 km SW of Seeley Lake, Montana
  11. 1.9 7 km WSW of Drummond, Montana
  12. 1.8 17 km E of Arlee, Montana
  13. 1.8 2 km S of Turah, Montana
  14. 1.6 10 km WSW of Drummond, Montana
  15. 2.2 Idaho-Montana border region

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.