QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near West Yellowstone, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in West Yellowstone in the 24 hours to 9:53 pm MST (04:53 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 3.0 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) south-southeast of West Yellowstone, MT, at 2:04 am MDT on 13 October 2023 (08:04 UTC), 5.8 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 42 km SSE of West Yellowstone, Montana

2:04 am MDT, Oct 13, 2023 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 890 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Teton County 46 kmFremont County 52 kmTeton County 69 kmMadison County 88 kmPark County 101 kmClark County 120 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
2:04 am MDT on 13 October 2023 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) south-southeast of West Yellowstone, MT · earthquakes near West Yellowstone
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Teton County, 46 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
East Mount Sheridan faults, 25 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 1061 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 35 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In West Yellowstone, 42 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 890 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 17,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 12,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 890 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 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 14 km N of Madison Junction, Wyoming · 49 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 21 km E of West Yellowstone, Montana · 36 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 25 km SSW of Mammoth, Wyoming · 48 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 24 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana · 45 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 51 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana · 35 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 44.3285, -110.8487. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Teton County, WY 46 km (28 mi) SE earthquakes near Teton County
Fremont County, ID 52 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near Fremont County
Teton County, ID 69 km (43 mi) SSW earthquakes near Teton County
Madison County, ID 88 km (55 mi) SW earthquakes near Madison County
Park County, WY 101 km (63 mi) E earthquakes near Park County
Clark County, ID 120 km (75 mi) W earthquakes near Clark 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. 1.6 21 km NE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  2. 1.5 15 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  3. 2.1 15 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  4. 2.0 16 km WSW of West Yellowstone, Montana
  5. 1.6 30 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  6. 1.9 29 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  7. 2.0 29 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  8. 1.5 18 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  9. 1.7 29 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  10. 1.6 30 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  11. 2.0 30 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  12. 1.9 30 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  13. 2.1 30 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  14. 3.3 29 km ESE of West Yellowstone, Montana
  15. 1.7 29 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.