Magnitude 3.3 - 44 miles SW of Kaktovik
February 20, 2019 17:38:15 AKST (February 21, 2019 02:38:15 UTC)
69.5514°N 144.4645°W Depth 7.0 miles (11 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 99 miles (160 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 102 miles (165 km) N of Arctic Village
- 104 miles (168 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 104 miles (168 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 110 miles (178 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 118 miles (191 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 144 miles (233 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 183 miles (296 km) N of Venetie
- 186 miles (301 km) E of Umiat
- 188 miles (304 km) NW of Old Crow
- 201 miles (325 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 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.