QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near West Yellowstone, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in West Yellowstone in the 24 hours to 9:59 am MST (16:59 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 11 km (7 mi) NNW, at 1:21 am MDT on 8 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near West Yellowstone

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) southeast of West Yellowstone, MT, at 1:47 am MST on 25 December 2019 (08:47 UTC), 4.3 km deep.

USGS: 49 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana

1:47 am MST, Dec 25, 2019 · · 4.3 km deep · released about 44 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near West Yellowstone Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Teton County 38 kmFremont County 67 kmTeton County 79 kmPark County 86 kmMadison County 101 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
1:47 am MST on 25 December 2019 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) southeast of West Yellowstone, MT · earthquakes near West Yellowstone
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
4.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Teton County, 38 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
East Mount Sheridan faults, 10 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2511 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In West Yellowstone, 49 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 44 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 340,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 240,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 44 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 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 14 km N of Madison Junction, Wyoming · 50 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 21 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana · 36 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 26 km SSE of Mammoth, Wyoming · 44 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 25 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming · 47 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 24 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana · 44 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 44.3508, -110.6585. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Teton County, WY 38 km (24 mi) SSE earthquakes near Teton County
Fremont County, ID 67 km (42 mi) WSW earthquakes near Fremont County
Teton County, ID 79 km (49 mi) SW earthquakes near Teton County
Park County, WY 86 km (53 mi) E earthquakes near Park County
Madison County, ID 101 km (63 mi) SW earthquakes near Madison County
Bonneville County, ID 131 km (82 mi) SW earthquakes near Bonneville County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 25 km S of Mammoth, Wyoming
  2. 1.6 72 km NNE of Kelly, Wyoming
  3. 1.5 56 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  4. 2.9 Wyoming
  5. 1.8 Wyoming
  6. 1.9 10 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  7. 2.1 10 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  8. 2.1 10 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  9. 1.5 10 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  10. 1.7 38 km SSE of Mammoth, Wyoming
  11. 1.7 13 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  12. 1.7 14 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana
  13. 1.6 20 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  14. 1.6 31 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  15. 1.6 25 km S of Mammoth, 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.