QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Bigfork, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Bigfork in the 24 hours to 7:47 am MST (14:47 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 8 km (5 mi) SSE, at 5:52 pm MST on 5 December 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Bigfork

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) east-southeast of Bigfork, MT, at 8:03 am MDT on 23 June 2024 (14:03 UTC), 8.2 km deep.

USGS: 27 km E of Swan Lake, Montana

8:03 am MDT, Jun 23, 2024 · · 8.2 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 55 kmFlathead County 59 kmTeton County 90 kmGlacier County 94 kmPondera County 99 kmMissoula County 105 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
8:03 am MDT on 23 June 2024 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) east-southeast of Bigfork, MT · earthquakes near Bigfork
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
8.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lake County, 55 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 803 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Bigfork, 47 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 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

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. 5.5 Western Montana · 25 km WNW 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 47.9277, -113.4761. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, MT 55 km (34 mi) SW earthquakes near Lake County
Flathead County, MT 59 km (37 mi) NW earthquakes near Flathead County
Teton County, MT 90 km (56 mi) E earthquakes near Teton County
Glacier County, MT 94 km (58 mi) NNE earthquakes near Glacier County
Pondera County, MT 99 km (62 mi) ENE earthquakes near Pondera County
Missoula County, MT 105 km (65 mi) SSW earthquakes near Missoula County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.4 4 km NE of Bear Dance, Montana
  2. 1.8 3 km NE of Bear Dance, Montana
  3. 1.1 2 km E of Bear Dance, Montana
  4. -0.0 19 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  5. 1.8 17 km SSE of Swan Lake, Montana
  6. 1.6 40 km ENE of Condon, Montana
  7. 1.7 20 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  8. 1.6 20 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  9. 1.6 20 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  10. 2.1 20 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  11. 1.8 17 km E of Condon, Montana
  12. 1.7 19 km E of Finley Point, Montana
  13. 1.6 16 km NNE of Condon, Montana
  14. 1.7 30 km ESE of Martin City, Montana
  15. 2.1 27 km E of Swan Lake, 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.