What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology

Home
United States
Butte, MT
Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology

The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology is the State Geological Survey, and the principal source of earth science information for the citizens of Montana.

08/27/2026

BTS from summer fieldwork at the Big Hole River! Our team has been out measuring groundwater levels and gathering data on this critical Montana resource.

The Big Hole matters for farming, fishing, and recreation - but low flows have been a challenge in recent years. Our research is investigating ways to help keep this river flowing during dry periods.

📸: Josie Grigsby

08/24/2026

Montana Geology: 41 Geosites for the 41st State is now live!

Explore 41 incredible geosites across Montana from your couch! MBMG's former Mineral Museum Director Steven Quane guides you through stunning geology with 360° videos that make you feel like you're actually there.

From famous spots to hidden gems, this free video series is perfect for geology lovers, virtual travelers, or anyone curious about what makes Montana's landscape so special!

Explore the full series: https://doi.org/10.59691/LHUT3885

08/17/2026

67 years ago, Montana was transformed by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake near West Yellowstone.

On August 17, 1959, the Hebgen Lake earthquake triggered a massive landslide in Madison Canyon that killed 28 people, partially buried the Rock Creek campground, and dammed the Madison River to create Earthquake Lake. The earthquake caused dramatic ground displacement—up to 18-20 feet of fault scarps that remain visible today on the Hebgen Lake and Red Canyon faults.

This event remains a powerful reminder of Montana's seismic activity and the importance of earthquake preparedness.

The image below is from our 2024 calendar; you can view the full text here:https://mbmg.mtech.edu/pdf-calendars/2024calendar.pdf

Learn more about our MBMG Geohazards program here: https://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/MontanaGeology/geohazards/Earthquakes/about.asp .tab=0

Tour Earthquake Lake in virtual reality via our "41 Montana Geosites" series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Zxoy_9PmIHU?si=RleQtN6spee8H35m

08/13/2026

Butte 100 Mountain Bike Races race day is monitored by more than just timers and volunteers; our seismic station at Limekiln Ridge (LRM) sits right along the course!

This year, we captured something pretty cool: hundreds of mountain bikers passing the station created a clear, distinct seismic signal that our instruments picked up. You can clearly see every hour of race day, from the moment the race started, when the first rider reached Limekiln Ridge, to when the last rider passed through.

For comparison, we have data from the same time window in 2024, when the race route didn't pass by Limekiln Ridge as a consequence of the intense fires nearby. Notice how different the signal looks!

Pretty amazing what our sensitive seismic equipment can detect!

08/06/2026

Montana Seismic Activity Roundup for July 2026!

This month brought 117 earthquakes to Montana! The largest had a magnitude of 2.7.

Wondering what you're looking at?
--- Circle size = magnitude
--- Circle color = depth

Montana averages 7-10 small earthquakes every day, so this is just another month of normal seismic activity in the state. But it's good to stay informed about what's happening beneath your feet!

Want to know if there are active faults or earthquakes near you? Check out the "Geohazards / Earthquake Studies" section of our website under Montana Geology!

Data: MBMG & USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

07/23/2026

Throwback to summer fieldwork at the MBMG! Nothing beats a day in the field, especially when you get to bring your favorite "rock hounds" along!

07/13/2026

Happy International Rock Day!

Our MBMG team opened their desk drawers and scoured their bookshelves to share some interesting geological treasures with us! Each one tells a story about our state's incredible geology.

What's YOUR favorite Montana rock or geology spot? Tag us in your summer geology adventures!

📸
1: Liddi - A piece of the Anderson-Dietz coal from the Spring Creek coal mine near Decker, Montana. Coal is an economically important rock in Montana, but also, up close, you can see why it's such a good aquifer as well. (Peep the 10 years of service pen from Tech as well!)
2: Susan B. - Bismuth sample and a really cool rock of unknown origins
3: Gary - Agates (check out that amazing rainbow! Learn more about Montana agates on our YouTube channel!)
4: Denise - Pebbles from Placid Lake from the Belt Formation. The redder rocks are from layers that have oxidized. The greener rocks are from more oxygen-deprived layers. The layers in these rocks were deposited more than 1 billion years ago!
5: Susan S. - Obsidian
6: Andrew - “Clinker Hemlock” from the Powder River Basin, but this is the more typical red. In this case, there was a branch of what appears to be Hemlock preserved in the shale, which was then preserved in the resulting clinker. A clinker is formed by coal burning and cooking the overlying shale, creating a low-grade ceramic.

07/09/2026

Our Archives team has been hard at work organizing and cataloging the Robert Thomas Collection—and it's pretty cool!

Dr. Thomas spent several years (1986-1991) studying the world's oldest mass extinction event, collecting data from 23 Montana sites.

But here's an interesting tidbit: he used a timer while sampling to make sure he spent equal time on each rock layer. No bias toward the "prettier" rocks, just pure, methodical science!

This collection includes his original field notebooks, rock samples, and detailed notes from decades of fieldwork. Now it's preserved for future scientists to study!

We'd also like to congratulate Dr. Thomas on his recent publication with the Geological Society of America , "Montana Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites under the Big Sky."

07/07/2026

Montana Seismic Activity Roundup for June 2026!

This month brought 86 earthquakes to Montana! The largest had a magnitude of 2.9, southeast of Butte.

Wondering what you're looking at?
--- Circle size = magnitude
--- Circle color = depth

Montana averages 7-10 small earthquakes every day, so this is just another month of normal seismic activity in the state. But it's good to stay informed about what's happening beneath your feet!

Want to know if there are active faults or earthquakes near you? Check out the "Geohazards / Earthquake Studies" section of our website under Montana Geology!

Data: MBMG & USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

06/30/2026

Summertime fieldwork at the MBMG!

We even have some students joining us for the summer, like Chris (pictured in the orange vest)! He's an MS student working with Montana Technological University Professor, Celine, on the Basin Earth MRI project, studying rhyolite domes and those beautiful flow-banded rocks you see in the third photo.

We're excited to have Chris and other students help our team advance Montana geology research!

Address

1300 W Park Street
Butte, MT
59701

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

(406) 496-4180

Website

http://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Government Service in Butte?