QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near West Yellowstone, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in West Yellowstone in the 24 hours to 2:18 am MST (09:18 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 33 km (21 mi) southeast of West Yellowstone, MT, at 1:01 am MST on 12 February 2022 (08:01 UTC), 3.9 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 33 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana

1:01 am MST, Feb 12, 2022 · · 3.9 km deep · released about 13 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near West Yellowstone Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Teton County 54 kmFremont County 55 kmTeton County 79 kmMadison County 95 kmPark County 100 kmPark 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
1:01 am MST on 12 February 2022 ()
Where
33 km (21 mi) southeast of West Yellowstone, MT · earthquakes near West Yellowstone
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
3.9 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Teton County, 54 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1656 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In West Yellowstone, 33 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 13 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 840,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 75× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 13 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.4 on 2017-06-16 — about 8,200 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 · 50 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 14 km N of Madison Junction, Wyoming · 39 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 22 km SW of Mammoth, Wyoming · 43 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 21 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana · 25 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 26 km SSE of Mammoth, Wyoming · 41 km NNE 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 44.4215, -110.8523. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Teton County, WY 54 km (33 mi) SE earthquakes near Teton County
Fremont County, ID 55 km (34 mi) WSW earthquakes near Fremont County
Teton County, ID 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Teton County
Madison County, ID 95 km (59 mi) SW earthquakes near Madison County
Park County, WY 100 km (62 mi) E earthquakes near Park County
Park County, MT 118 km (74 mi) NNE earthquakes near Park 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. 2.0 Idaho-Montana border region
  2. 1.6 47 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  3. 1.6 17 km S of Mammoth, Wyoming
  4. 2.4 Wyoming
  5. 1.9 22 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  6. 1.6 22 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  7. 2.3 22 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  8. 1.6 21 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  9. 2.4 22 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  10. 2.1 21 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  11. 2.2 22 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  12. 2.0 22 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming
  13. 2.0 22 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  14. 2.2 21 km SSE of Mammoth, Wyoming
  15. 1.6 43 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.