Magnitude 2.9 - 49 miles SW of Kaktovik
January 11, 2019 16:02:58 AKST (January 12, 2019 01:02:58 UTC)
69.6537°N 145.1442°W Depth 10.4 miles (16 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 83 miles (134 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 86 miles (139 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 86 miles (139 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 92 miles (149 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 106 miles (171 km) N of Arctic Village
- 106 miles (171 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 135 miles (218 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 170 miles (275 km) E of Umiat
- 186 miles (301 km) N of Venetie
- 194 miles (314 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 200 miles (324 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.