QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Belgrade, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Belgrade in the 24 hours to 9:12 am MST (16:12 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 2.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Belgrade, MT, at 9:20 pm MDT on 13 October 2020 (03:20 UTC), 3.4 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km W of Belgrade, Montana

17 km (11 mi) WNW of Bozeman, MT

9:20 pm MDT, Oct 13, 2020 · · 3.4 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Belgrade Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Gallatin County 28 kmPark County 65 kmBroadwater County 66 kmMadison County 72 kmJefferson County 75 kmMeagher County 94 kmSweet Grass County 101 kmSilver Bow 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
9:20 pm MDT on 13 October 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Belgrade, MT · earthquakes near Belgrade
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
3.4 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Gallatin County, 28 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2143 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Belgrade, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Belgrade 5 km, intensity III · Manhattan 12 km, intensity II · Bozeman 18 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 250 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 · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Clarkston Valley, Montana (Aftershock) · 40 km NNW 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 45.7685, -111.2400. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Gallatin County, MT 28 km (18 mi) SSE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Park County, MT 65 km (40 mi) ESE earthquakes near Park County
Broadwater County, MT 66 km (41 mi) NNW earthquakes near Broadwater County
Madison County, MT 72 km (45 mi) SW earthquakes near Madison County
Jefferson County, MT 75 km (46 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Meagher County, MT 94 km (58 mi) NNE earthquakes near Meagher County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km NE of Manhattan, Montana
  2. 1.7 19 km NNE of Ennis, Montana
  3. 3.3 17 km NNE of Ennis, Montana
  4. 2.9 20 km SSE of Harrison, Montana
  5. 1.5 2 km NW of Manhattan, Montana
  6. 1.6 11 km NNE of Ennis, Montana
  7. 1.7 3 km NNE of Logan, Montana
  8. 1.5 5 km SW of Manhattan, Montana
  9. 2.1 2 km WSW of Logan, Montana
  10. 1.8 5 km NW of Logan, Montana
  11. 1.7 1 km ENE of Churchill, Montana
  12. 2.0 4 km W of Three Forks, Montana
  13. 1.9 7 km NNE of Manhattan, Montana
  14. 1.5 8 km S of Harrison, Montana
  15. 3.1 6 km NNW of Three Forks, 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.