Magnitude 1.8 - 46 miles NW of Arctic Village
October 8, 2019 14:36:30 AKDT (October 8, 2019 22:36:30 UTC)
68.7201°N 146.3485°W Depth 3.0 miles (4 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 63 miles (102 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 75 miles (121 km) SE of Pump Station #2
- 79 miles (128 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 113 miles (183 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 116 miles (188 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 118 miles (191 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 118 miles (191 km) N of Venetie
- 120 miles (194 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 133 miles (215 km) NE of Wiseman
- 142 miles (230 km) NE of Coldfoot
- 143 miles (231 km) E of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 271 miles (439 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.