The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 4 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 1 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Missoula, the biggest of them M3.1. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Missoula came at 1.8× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Missoula — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.8 of Apr 01, 1985, 09:13 UTC: 21 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana.
How we figure this: 3 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 1.7 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Missoula, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Missoula are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Missoula
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1.2 | 22 km SW of Ovando, Montana | Nov 01, 2026, 09:41 PM | 12 km | 50 km E |
| M1.4 | 4 km SSE of Alberton, Montana | Oct 18, 2026, 01:29 AM | 8 km | 36 km WNW |
| M1.4 | 16 km NW of Old Agency, Montana | Oct 17, 2026, 06:41 AM | 10 km | 71 km NNW |
| M1.1 | 27 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana | Oct 17, 2026, 03:28 AM | 5 km | 79 km NE |
| M1.2 | 17 km WNW of Lincoln, Montana | Oct 15, 2026, 07:16 PM | 15 km | 84 km E |
| M-0.0 | 19 km E of Finley Point, Montana | Oct 15, 2026, 01:59 AM | 6 km | 95 km N |
| M1.4 | 38 km NNE of Ovando, Montana | Oct 13, 2026, 08:17 PM | 21 km | 94 km NE |
| M1.3 | 41 km WSW of Augusta, Montana | Oct 07, 2026, 03:49 AM | 9 km | 99 km NE |
| M0.9 | 15 km SE of Condon, Montana | Oct 06, 2026, 01:39 AM | 10 km | 68 km NNE |
| M3.1 | 12 km N of Ovando, Montana | Oct 04, 2026, 08:34 PM | 5 km | 73 km ENE |
Earthquakes per year near Missoula (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Missoula
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 19 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 4 biggest earthquakes on record near Missoula (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.8 | 21 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana | Apr 01, 1985, 09:13 UTC | 73 km |
| M4.0 | 43 km NE of Seeley Lake, Montana | Jul 19, 2002, 19:58 UTC | 95 km |
| M4.0 | 21 km SE of Clinton, Montana | Jun 28, 2000, 14:28 UTC | 44 km |
| M4.0 | 15 km NNE of Seeley Lake, Montana | Mar 10, 1980, 14:48 UTC | 67 km |
Nearby places
Lolo, MT (14 km) · Frenchtown, MT (24 km) · Clinton, MT (24 km) · Stevensville, MT (41 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 17:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 17:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.