QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

46 km NNE of Alta, Wyoming

Yes. A magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 46 km NNE of Alta, Wyoming, at 2:59 pm MST on 24 December 2020 (21:59 UTC), 11 km deep.

· 11 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Teton County 24 kmTeton County 55 kmFremont County 63 kmMadison County 83 kmPark County 99 kmBonneville County 108 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
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Teton County, 24 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Teton fault, 8 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 2145 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. 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 100 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 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 51 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana · 49 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 62 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana · 44 km NE 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 44.1067, -110.7148. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Teton County, WY 24 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near Teton County
Teton County, ID 55 km (34 mi) SW earthquakes near Teton County
Fremont County, ID 63 km (39 mi) WNW earthquakes near Fremont County
Madison County, ID 83 km (52 mi) WSW earthquakes near Madison County
Park County, WY 99 km (62 mi) ENE earthquakes near Park County
Bonneville County, ID 108 km (67 mi) SW earthquakes near Bonneville County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  2. 2.1 63 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  3. 1.5 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  4. 2.1 63 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  5. 2.4 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  6. 1.9 63 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  7. 1.6 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  8. 1.7 63 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  9. 1.9 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  10. 1.9 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  11. 1.7 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  12. 2.0 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  13. 2.1 64 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  14. 1.7 65 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  15. 2.6 63 km ESE of West Yellowstone, 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.