Magnitude 1.5 - 72 miles S of Kaktovik
January 9, 2019 20:38:44 AKST (January 10, 2019 05:38:44 UTC)
69.1447°N 144.6271°W Depth 1.2 miles (1 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 74 miles (119 km) N of Arctic Village
- 98 miles (158 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 106 miles (171 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 116 miles (188 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 117 miles (189 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 123 miles (199 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 128 miles (207 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 155 miles (251 km) N of Venetie
- 171 miles (277 km) NW of Old Crow
- 174 miles (282 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 179 miles (290 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 309 miles (501 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.