Magnitude 1.4 - 47 miles S of Kaktovik
August 6, 2020 11:31:32 AKDT (August 6, 2020 19:31:32 UTC)
69.4479°N 143.6946°W Depth 4.2 miles (6 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 102 miles (165 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 118 miles (191 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 124 miles (201 km) E of Deadhorse
- 124 miles (201 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 130 miles (210 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 133 miles (215 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 158 miles (256 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 170 miles (275 km) NW of Old Crow
- 182 miles (295 km) N of Venetie
- 193 miles (312 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 204 miles (330 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.