The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 8 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 1 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Columbia Falls, the biggest of them M1.8. The biggest quake on record near Columbia Falls — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.7 of Dec 22, 1998, 01:17 UTC: Idaho-Montana border region.
Latest earthquakes near Columbia Falls
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1.4 | 4 km NE of Bear Dance, Montana | Oct 21, 2026, 06:35 AM | 9 km | 50 km SSE |
| M1.8 | 3 km NE of Bear Dance, Montana | Oct 20, 2026, 07:22 PM | 3 km | 50 km SSE |
| M1.1 | 2 km E of Bear Dance, Montana | Oct 20, 2026, 03:02 PM | 9 km | 53 km SSE |
| M-0.0 | 19 km E of Finley Point, Montana | Oct 15, 2026, 01:59 AM | 6 km | 78 km SSE |
| M1.7 | 19 km SW of Marion, Montana | Aug 14, 2026, 07:47 PM | 4 km | 66 km SW |
| M2.3 | 18 km SW of Marion, Montana | Aug 06, 2026, 11:03 AM | 4 km | 65 km SW |
| M2.0 | 19 km SW of Marion, Montana | Jul 13, 2026, 05:41 PM | 3 km | 66 km SW |
| M2.4 | 9 km SSW of Bear Dance, Montana | May 23, 2026, 01:06 PM | 13 km | 61 km S |
| M1.6 | 1 km SSW of Dayton, Montana | May 22, 2026, 12:23 PM | 1 km | 59 km S |
| M1.8 | 17 km SSE of Swan Lake, Montana | May 19, 2026, 05:58 AM | 5 km | 72 km SSE |
Earthquakes per year near Columbia Falls (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Columbia Falls
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 9 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Columbia Falls (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.7 | Idaho-Montana border region | Dec 22, 1998, 01:17 UTC | 87 km |
| M4.6 | 35 km S of Pincher Creek, Canada | Mar 04, 2000, 02:42 UTC | 89 km |
| M4.5 | 46 km SW of Pincher Creek, Canada | Feb 11, 1984, 13:38 UTC | 92 km |
| M4.3 | 8 km SSW of Rexford, Montana | Mar 22, 2006, 17:24 UTC | 90 km |
| M4.1 | 11 km NE of Swan Lake, Montana | Apr 15, 1998, 02:28 UTC | 52 km |
| M4.1 | 2 km NNW of Kila, Montana | Jun 29, 1995, 18:10 UTC | 34 km |
| M4.1 | 2 km NW of Kila, Montana | May 02, 1995, 19:31 UTC | 34 km |
| M4.0 | 15 km SSE of Happys Inn, Montana | Jan 20, 1998, 16:33 UTC | 80 km |
Nearby places
Whitefish, MT (12 km) · Evergreen, MT (18 km) · Kalispell, MT (22 km) · Bigfork, MT (35 km) · Lakeside, MT (39 km) · Somers, MT (33 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 17:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 17:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.