Significant earthquakes of 1925

June 28, 1925 Earthquake: Clarkston Valley, Montana, United States

June 28, 1925 · M6.7 · $150,000

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Clarkston Valley, Montana, United States on June 28, 1925 at 01:21:05 UTC, 25 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
June 28, 1925
Time
01:21:05 UTC
Place
Clarkston Valley, Montana, United States
Magnitude
6.7 (Ms)
Focal depth
25 km (16 mi)
Intensity
8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
46.400° N, 111.240° W

The toll

Damage
$150,000
Houses damaged
Some (about 51 to 100)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1925. June 28, 01 21 (June 27). Clarkston Valley, north of Gallatin County, Mont. The most severe damage from this strong earthquake occurred in Gallatin County at Manhattan, Three Forks, Logan, and Lombard. Because no large cities were near the epicenter, property damage did not exceed

$150,000.

At Manhattan, the community high school and the

grade school were both damaged severely, but reinforced concrete buildings were undamaged. Many chimneys were toppled.

At Three Forks, walls of the schoolhouse bulged on

all sides, and its foundation and basement were damaged.

A church, whose walls were not tied together by an upper floor, also sustained heavy damage. Later shocks demolished the walls. Almost all masonry buildings showed cracks and damage, but because most of the buildings were of frame construction, they sustained only cracks in plaster and some

fallen chimneys.

At Logan, the poorly designed and constructed

schoolhouse was damaged heavily. However, a large brick roundhouse sustained only a few cracks. As at Three Forks, most of the buildings at Logan were of frame construction and therefore sustained only cracks in plaster and destruction of chimneys.

At Lombard, where the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway crosses the Northern Pacific Railway, large boulders were dislodged to such an extent that trains were delayed on the Northern Pacific line. Also, a huge rock slide blocked the Deer Park entrance of the Lombard Tunnel on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway and the canyon of Sixteenmile Creek, causing a lake to form.

Cracks occurred in graded and filled roads but not

in cuts or where the natural surface had not been disturbed. Approaches to many bridges settled as much as 30 cm. One spring formed near Josephine and began to flow, but other springs and sources of water in the neighborhood ceased to flow. Felt from the North Dakota line to Washington, and from southern Canada to southern Wyoming Aflershocks continued for several months.

(above from reference #542)

Photos

From the NCEI/WDS Natural Hazards Image Database (doi:10.7289/V5154F01). Only photos by the USGS and NOAA, which are public domain, are shown.

Damage to High School at Three Forks, Montana
Damage to High School at Three Forks, Montana The high school at Three Forks, Montana, with brick walls in lime mortar was badly damaged and the walls bulged on all sides. Photo: J.T. Pardee, U.S. Geological Survey.
Damage to School at Manhattan
Damage to School at Manhattan At Manhattan, Montana, partition walls of the school separated from the outside wall, owing to lack of ties. Photo: J.T. Pardee, U.S. Geological Survey.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1925The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1925Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 9672.