QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Bozeman, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Bozeman in the 24 hours to 7:48 am MST (14:48 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 17 km (10 mi) NW, at 7:42 am MDT on 1 June 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 20 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Bozeman

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 46 km (29 mi) northwest of Bozeman, MT, at 2:03 am MDT on 10 October 2020 (08:03 UTC), 7.5 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana

45 km (28 mi) NW of Bozeman, MT

2:03 am MDT, Oct 10, 2020 · · 7.5 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bozeman Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Broadwater County 36 kmJefferson County 53 kmGallatin County 58 kmMeagher County 72 kmMadison County 87 kmPark County 91 kmSilver Bow County 99 kmSweet Grass County 114 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
2:03 am MDT on 10 October 2020 ()
Where
46 km (29 mi) northwest of Bozeman, MT · earthquakes near Bozeman
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
7.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Broadwater County, 36 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2153 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 Bozeman, 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.

Likely felt in: Manhattan 19 km, intensity II · Three Forks 19 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2019-08-16 — about 500 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 · 12 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 12 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 12 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 12 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 12 km NW 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 46.0189, -111.3882. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Broadwater County, MT 36 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near Broadwater County
Jefferson County, MT 53 km (33 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Gallatin County, MT 58 km (36 mi) SSE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Meagher County, MT 72 km (45 mi) NNE earthquakes near Meagher County
Madison County, MT 87 km (54 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madison County
Park County, MT 91 km (56 mi) SE earthquakes near Park County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 3 km WNW of Ponderosa Pines, Montana
  2. 1.5 9 km NE of Townsend, Montana
  3. 1.7 9 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  4. 1.6 9 km NNE of Three Forks, Montana
  5. 1.5 5 km NW of Logan, Montana
  6. 2.0 5 km NNE of Willow Creek, Montana
  7. 1.7 7 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  8. 1.6 Western Montana
  9. 1.5 8 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  10. 1.7 8 km WSW of Townsend, Montana
  11. 1.6 7 km W of Townsend, Montana
  12. 2.3 16 km SSW of Radersburg, Montana
  13. 1.6 15 km ESE of Harrison, Montana
  14. 1.6 14 km SSE of Elkhorn, Montana
  15. 1.5 6 km W of Townsend, 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.