In the early afternoon of Thursday January 29th, 2026, a shallow MAG-4.2 earthquake hit under land 7 miles from Great Falls in The United States. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 530 thousand people. Another nearby country is Canada.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 7 miles (12 km) north-east of Great Falls in Montana. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 14 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 29, 2026 12:41PM (Denver Time) - Jan 29, 2026 19:41 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 7 mi NE of Great Falls, Montana, The United States. Coordinates 47°35'4"N 111°12'8"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.2 Detected by 53 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 . |
| Depth: | 14 mi (23 km) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | V
Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Minimal impact predicted
Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.
The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.
Roughly 530 thousand people exposed to shaking
The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 530 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 96,090 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 360 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 77,970 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 357,600 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 96,090 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 0 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
The United States and Canada are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Great Falls in Montana, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 7 miles (12 km) north-east of Great Falls. The intensity of shaking and damage in Great Falls is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).
A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 mi (12 km) SW from epicenter |
Great Falls Montana, The United States. |
IV
Light |
| 79 mi (127 km) SSW from epicenter |
Helena Montana, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 126 mi (203 km) SSW from epicenter |
Butte Montana, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 132 mi (212 km) S from epicenter |
Bozeman Montana, The United States. |
|
| 140 mi (225 km) WSW from epicenter |
Missoula Montana, The United States. |
|
| 150 mi (242 km) WNW from epicenter |
Kalispell Montana, The United States. |
|
| 263 km (163 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Lethbridge Alberta, Canada. |
|
| 276 km (171 mi) N from epicenter |
Medicine Hat Alberta, Canada. |
|
| 178 mi (287 km) SE from epicenter |
Billings Montana, The United States. |
III
Weak |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).This is the strongest earthquake in 9 years
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 6th, 2017, when a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 81 mi (130 km) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck on July 6th, 2017.
In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 years.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 14 mi (23 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/01/26 01:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000s5ba
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260129_0000262
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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