Magnitude 3.3 - 30 miles SE of Pump Station #3
December 15, 2019 09:26:19 AKST (December 15, 2019 18:26:19 UTC)
68.5569°N 147.905°W Depth 11.0 miles (17 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 38 miles (61 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 64 miles (103 km) S of Pump Station #2
- 67 miles (108 km) NW of Arctic Village
- 98 miles (158 km) NE of Wiseman
- 102 miles (165 km) E of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 108 miles (175 km) NE of Coldfoot
- 114 miles (184 km) S of Deadhorse
- 114 miles (184 km) N of Venetie
- 118 miles (191 km) S of Prudhoe Bay
- 119 miles (192 km) S of Pump Station #1
- 119 miles (192 km) SE of Umiat
- 257 miles (416 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.