Small earthquake in southwest Montana

MAJOR FALLS – A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was detected near Dillon on Monday, October 7, 2024, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred just before 1 a.m

Its center was about 7.4 miles east of Dillon at a depth of about 8.5 miles.

People reported feeling the quake in Butte, Helena, Anaconda, Bozeman, Clancy, Gardiner and Lincoln.

There are no reports of damage or injuries.

We will let you know when we receive further information.

The Treasure State lies in one of the most seismically active regions in the United States. The intermountain seismic belt, which extends through the western third of the state, is where the majority of earthquake activity occurs in Montana. The vast majority of earthquakes are very small and are hardly noticed by people.

However, there have been some notable earthquakes in Montana's history, including the magnitude 7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake on August 17, 1959.

The earthquake triggered more than 160 new geysers throughout Yellowstone National Park. There were also around 28 deaths from a rockfall in Madison Canyon.

And on July 6, 2017, one of Montana's strongest earthquakes in decades struck the community of Lincoln, northwest of Helena.

Its center was 5.5 miles southeast of Lincoln at a depth of about 2.6 miles. People reported feeling the magnitude 5.8 quake across Montana and the Northwest, with some reports even coming from Vancouver and Lethbridge, Canada.

There was minor damage, but no fatalities or serious injuries occurred.

The plains of central and eastern Montana are significantly less prone to earthquakes, but some large earthquakes have been reported.

According to the USGS, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck northeast Montana on May 15, 1909. Several smaller quakes were recorded in Roosevelt County, including an estimated magnitude 4.5 quake in the town of Froid that resulted in some damage to a grain elevator in 1943.

Although the state has not experienced a devastating earthquake in some time, smaller quakes occur several times a day. Click here to learn more about earthquake preparedness.