Magnitude 4.9 - 44 miles SW of Kaktovik
April 27, 2007 21:20:30 AKDT (April 28, 2007 05:20:30 UTC)
69.6432°N 144.8182°W Depth 6.2 miles (10 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 91 miles (147 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 93 miles (150 km) E of Deadhorse
- 93 miles (150 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 99 miles (160 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 107 miles (173 km) N of Arctic Village
- 113 miles (183 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 140 miles (226 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 178 miles (288 km) E of Umiat
- 187 miles (303 km) N of Venetie
- 198 miles (321 km) NW of Old Crow
- 201 miles (325 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- Magnitude type: Mw2
- 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.
