Magnitude 0.7 - 79 miles NE of Arctic Village
April 20, 2019 18:28:50 AKDT (April 21, 2019 02:28:50 UTC)
68.8360°N 143.0954°W Depth 4.6 miles (7 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 90 miles (145 km) S of Kaktovik
- 129 miles (209 km) NW of Old Crow
- 141 miles (228 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 143 miles (231 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 152 miles (246 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 153 miles (248 km) NE of Venetie
- 159 miles (257 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 160 miles (259 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 160 miles (259 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 165 miles (267 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 167 miles (270 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 303 miles (491 km) N of Fairbanks
- 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.