All earthquakesMontana

Montana earthquakes in 1978

23 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more were located in Montana in 1978. The largest: M4.5 12 km WSW of Ovando, Montana, Apr 23, 1978.

From the USGS catalog. Times are local to each quake.

19771979

Map

Where every quake of 1978 was located in Montana. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Every quake of 1978

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 197813.649 km W of Hebgen Lake Estates, Montana
February 197843.737 km SE of West Yellowstone, Montana
March 197833.814 km ENE of Seeley Lake, Montana
April 197834.512 km WSW of Ovando, Montana
May 197813.213 km W of Ovando, Montana
June 19780
July 19780
August 197813.527 km E of Shelby, Montana
September 197823.013 km WSW of Ovando, Montana
October 197853.624 km ENE of West Yellowstone, Montana
November 197834.315 km W of Ovando, Montana
December 19780

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Nearby

Montana nowWorldwide in 1978

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.