Magnitude 1.8 - 52 miles SW of Kaktovik
August 21, 2019 03:43:05 AKDT (August 21, 2019 11:43:05 UTC)
69.5805°N 145.1483°W Depth 7.1 miles (11 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 83 miles (134 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 88 miles (142 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 89 miles (144 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 95 miles (154 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 101 miles (163 km) N of Arctic Village
- 104 miles (168 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 131 miles (212 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 170 miles (275 km) E of Umiat
- 181 miles (293 km) N of Venetie
- 192 miles (311 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 196 miles (317 km) NE of Wiseman
- 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.