Magnitude 4.0 - 46 miles S of Kaktovik
February 16, 2019 13:35:07 AKST (February 16, 2019 22:35:07 UTC)
69.4858°N 144.0733°W Depth 8.6 miles (13 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 101 miles (163 km) N of Arctic Village
- 109 miles (176 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 114 miles (184 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 114 miles (184 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 120 miles (194 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 125 miles (202 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 150 miles (243 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 178 miles (288 km) NW of Old Crow
- 181 miles (293 km) N of Venetie
- 196 miles (317 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 196 miles (317 km) E of Umiat
- Magnitude type: Ml2
- Event type: earthquake
Tectonic Setting of the Brooks Range
Seismicity in the Brooks Range is characterized by intraplate earthquakes associated with mountain building and crustal reorganization. A broad earthquake band extends from northeast of the Brooks Range toward the Beaufort Sea. Earthquake source mechanisms comprise a mixture of strike-slip and normal faulting events, indicative of north-northwest compression and northeast extension. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake on August 12, 2018 located 43 miles (69 km) south of Kaktovik was the largest earthquake ever recorded north of the Brooks Range. It produced an energetic aftershock sequence that continues to this day. In 2019, a vigorous swarm sequence began in the Purcell Mountains. More than 9,000 earthquakes have been recorded as part of this swarm through the end of 2021, including five earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 5. At present, this swarm continues, though at a decreased activity level.