Magnitude 2.0 - 52 miles S of Kaktovik
May 22, 2020 05:31:11 AKDT (May 22, 2020 13:31:11 UTC)
69.3689°N 143.7349°W Depth 6.5 miles (10 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 97 miles (157 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 117 miles (189 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 125 miles (202 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 126 miles (204 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 131 miles (212 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 131 miles (212 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 154 miles (249 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 166 miles (269 km) NW of Old Crow
- 177 miles (286 km) N of Venetie
- 188 miles (304 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 198 miles (321 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 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.