M2.6 earthquake 16 km NE of Lima, Montana

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 16 km NE of Lima, Montana on Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 2:04 PM MST (21:04 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.7 23 km ESE of Dillon, Montana. This one was a foreshock.

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.049 · 54 stations
2.82	ML, local (Richter)	Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology	Final · ±0.227 · 24 stations

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000diha (also filed as mb80487794). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 11:59 AM UTC.