Magnitude 3.9 - 44 miles S of Kaktovik
March 24, 2020 01:42:19 AKDT (March 24, 2020 09:42:19 UTC)
69.5211°N 144.2555°W Depth 5.7 miles (9 km)
No reports of this event being felt have been received at this time. This event was likely an aftershock of the M6.4 Kaktovik earthquake that struck this region in August of 2018.
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 102 miles (165 km) N of Arctic Village
- 104 miles (168 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 109 miles (176 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 109 miles (176 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 115 miles (186 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 122 miles (197 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 148 miles (239 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 182 miles (295 km) N of Venetie
- 183 miles (296 km) NW of Old Crow
- 191 miles (309 km) E of Umiat
- 199 miles (322 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 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.