QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Big Sky, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Big Sky in the 24 hours to 1:29 pm MST (20:29 UTC). The last one was M 3.7, 68 km (42 mi) SE, at 7:22 am MDT on 28 October 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 11 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Big Sky

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 46 km (29 mi) southwest of Big Sky, MT, at 5:17 am MST on 13 January 2018 (12:17 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 37 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana

5:17 am MST, Jan 13, 2018 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Big Sky Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madison County 40 kmGallatin County 76 kmFremont County 88 kmClark County 90 kmBeaverhead County 90 kmPark County 110 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
5:17 am MST on 13 January 2018 ()
Where
46 km (29 mi) southwest of Big Sky, MT · earthquakes near Big Sky
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madison County, 40 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Madison fault, 15 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3145 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Sky, 46 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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 4.3 on 2016-06-13 — about 1,600 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. 7.2 The 1959 Hebgen Lake, Montana Earthquake · 49 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 30 km SSW of Big Sky, Montana · 18 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 32 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 19 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 26 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 26 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 31 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana · 23 km SE 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 44.9805, -111.7651. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madison County, MT 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Madison County
Gallatin County, MT 76 km (47 mi) NE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Fremont County, ID 88 km (54 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fremont County
Clark County, ID 90 km (56 mi) SSW earthquakes near Clark County
Beaverhead County, MT 90 km (56 mi) WNW earthquakes near Beaverhead County
Park County, MT 110 km (69 mi) ENE earthquakes near Park County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 27 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  2. 1.6 27 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  3. 1.6 30 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana
  4. 2.4 29 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  5. 1.8 42 km NE of Spencer, Idaho
  6. 1.6 43 km SSW of Virginia City, Montana
  7. 2.0 30 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana
  8. 1.5 34 km S of Virginia City, Montana
  9. 1.5 34 km S of Virginia City, Montana
  10. 2.4 27 km WNW of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
  11. 1.7 43 km NE of Spencer, Idaho
  12. 1.9 29 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana
  13. 2.0 30 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana
  14. 1.5 30 km SSE of Virginia City, Montana
  15. 1.5 27 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, 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.