Magnitude 0.7 - 39 miles S of Shungnak
February 22, 2021 00:03:30 AKST (February 22, 2021 09:03:30 UTC)
66.3330°N 157.3115°W Depth 1.6 miles (2 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 41 miles (66 km) S of Kobuk
- 51 miles (82 km) NW of Huslia
- 54 miles (87 km) S of Ambler
- 77 miles (124 km) E of Selawik
- 86 miles (139 km) NE of Buckland
- 88 miles (142 km) W of Hughes
- 97 miles (157 km) SE of Kiana
- 101 miles (163 km) N of Koyukuk
- 108 miles (175 km) E of Noorvik
- 111 miles (179 km) N of Galena
- 114 miles (184 km) N of Nulato
- 265 miles (429 km) NE of Nome
- 293 miles (475 km) NW of Fairbanks
- Magnitude type: Ml
- 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.
