QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Lander, WY

No earthquake was likely felt in Lander in the 24 hours to 7:42 am MST (14:42 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 43 km (27 mi) SE, at 5:38 pm MST on 12 December 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 50 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Lander

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Lander, WY, at 12:02 pm MDT on 31 August 2024 (18:02 UTC), 10 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 26 km WSW of Lander, Wyoming

12:02 pm MDT, Aug 31, 2024 · · 10 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fremont County 49 kmSublette County 73 kmHot Springs County 120 kmSweetwater County 120 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
12:02 pm MDT on 31 August 2024 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Lander, WY · earthquakes near Lander
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Fremont County, 49 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 334 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 Lander, 26 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 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 10 km W of Atlantic City, Wyoming · 30 km SSE 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 42.7335, -109.0240. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fremont County, WY 49 km (31 mi) NE earthquakes near Fremont County
Sublette County, WY 73 km (45 mi) W earthquakes near Sublette County
Hot Springs County, WY 120 km (74 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hot Springs County
Sweetwater County, WY 120 km (75 mi) S earthquakes near Sweetwater County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 25 km SW of Fort Washakie, Wyoming
  2. 2.5 14 km W of Atlantic City, Wyoming

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.