The Truth About How Many Earthquakes Happen In Montana

When you walk around and live in Montana, would you think about seismic activity? Walking down the street anticipating an earthquake of some sort. If your like me, I never think about that in my daily life.

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You read or see stuff on the news about places like Alaska and California having earthquakes all the time and people feel them. In fact, Alaska recorded the biggest earthquake in US history in 1964 at 9.2 on the Richter scale.

What about Montana?

Even though we barely feel them, we have a great deal of earthquakes per year and there's even a lot per day!

via GIPHY

Poking around the internet, I was looking at some research conducted by The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology or The MBMG, they talk about something called Intermountain Seismic Belt which is as they say:

Extends through western Montana, from the Flathead Lake region in the northwest corner of the State to the Yellowstone National Park region where the borders of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming meet.

Being at about 100km wide or if you're in 'merica, about 62 miles and has 8 active faults which have been home to a few large earthquakes over the years.

With this big of an area for potential earthquakes, how many does Montana have on a daily basis?

According to The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Montana experiences 7-10 earthquakes per day. That thousands of tiny earthquakes in Montana per year, some bigger than others.

Honestly, the only earthquake I've ever felt was in July of 2017. I was hanging out with my cat and having a beer. At first I thought a cement truck was driving through my tiny little neighborhood in Black Eagle, MT and then I felt a shake. It was scary for a moment, I'm sure you felt that too.

via GIPHY

Do you feel the small earthquakes we have in Montana? Let us know where and when on social media.