QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near West Yellowstone, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in West Yellowstone in the 24 hours to 1:44 pm MST (20:44 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 3.2 earthquake was recorded 36 km (23 mi) east-northeast of West Yellowstone, MT, at 8:38 am MST on 6 January 2021 (15:38 UTC), 4.7 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 26 km S of Mammoth, Wyoming

8:38 am MST, Jan 6, 2021 · · 4.7 km deep · released about 1,700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near West Yellowstone Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Teton County 79 kmPark County 81 kmFremont County 88 kmPark County 89 kmGallatin County 95 kmTeton County 118 kmMadison County 118 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
8:38 am MST on 6 January 2021 ()
Where
36 km (23 mi) east-northeast of West Yellowstone, MT · earthquakes near West Yellowstone
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
4.7 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Teton County, 79 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2069 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 44 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In West Yellowstone, 36 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.

Likely felt in: West Yellowstone 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 9,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,500× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,700 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.7× more

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.4 on 2017-06-16 — about 63 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.2 The 1959 Hebgen Lake, Montana Earthquake · 43 km W of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 14 km N of Madison Junction, Wyoming · 19 km W of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 22 km SW of Mammoth, Wyoming · 18 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 21 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana · 18 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 26 km SSE of Mammoth, Wyoming · 4 km E 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 44.7415, -110.6567. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Teton County, WY 79 km (49 mi) SSE earthquakes near Teton County
Park County, MT 81 km (50 mi) N earthquakes near Park County
Fremont County, ID 88 km (55 mi) SW earthquakes near Fremont County
Park County, WY 89 km (55 mi) ESE earthquakes near Park County
Gallatin County, MT 95 km (59 mi) NNW earthquakes near Gallatin County
Teton County, ID 118 km (73 mi) SSW earthquakes near Teton County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 27 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana
  2. 2.1 27 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  3. 2.1 27 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  4. 1.8 27 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  5. 2.5 38 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  6. 2.0 27 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  7. 1.8 28 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  8. 2.4 27 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  9. 1.5 28 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  10. 1.8 27 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana
  11. 1.7 Wyoming
  12. 1.5 50 km SSE of Mammoth, Wyoming
  13. 1.5 25 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  14. 1.7 57 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  15. 2.5 56 km SE 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.