Magnitude 1.4 - 42 miles S of Shungnak
October 21, 2019 09:14:43 AKDT (October 21, 2019 17:14:43 UTC)
66.2824°N 157.1661°W Depth 1.5 miles (2 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 44 miles (71 km) S of Kobuk
- 46 miles (74 km) NW of Huslia
- 59 miles (95 km) S of Ambler
- 81 miles (131 km) E of Selawik
- 83 miles (134 km) W of Hughes
- 88 miles (142 km) NE of Buckland
- 98 miles (158 km) N of Koyukuk
- 102 miles (165 km) SE of Kiana
- 107 miles (173 km) N of Galena
- 111 miles (179 km) N of Nulato
- 113 miles (183 km) E of Noorvik
- 267 miles (432 km) NE of Nome
- 288 miles (466 km) NW 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.