QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Bowman, ND

No earthquake was likely felt in Bowman in the 24 hours to 8:01 am MST (15:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 32 km (20 mi) NNE, at 5:42 pm MDT on 13 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Bowman

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 32 km (20 mi) north-northeast of Bowman, ND, at 5:42 pm MDT on 13 August 2026 (23:42 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SE of Amidon, North Dakota

5:42 pm MDT, Aug 13, 2026 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Slope County 12 kmBowman County 43 kmBillings County 60 kmStark County 62 kmHettinger County 65 kmGolden Valley County 67 kmAdams County 72 kmFallon County 86 kmWibaux County 92 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
5:42 pm MDT on 13 August 2026 ()
Where
32 km (20 mi) north-northeast of Bowman, ND · earthquakes near Bowman
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Slope County, 12 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 74 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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Bowman, 32 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 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

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 46.4677, -103.3030. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Slope County, ND 12 km (8 mi) W earthquakes near Slope County
Bowman County, ND 43 km (27 mi) SSW earthquakes near Bowman County
Billings County, ND 60 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Billings County
Stark County, ND 62 km (39 mi) NE earthquakes near Stark County
Hettinger County, ND 65 km (40 mi) E earthquakes near Hettinger County
Golden Valley County, ND 67 km (41 mi) NW earthquakes near Golden Valley County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.