Magnitude 1.9 - 47 miles SE of Pump Station #2
August 21, 2019 21:09:13 AKDT (August 22, 2019 05:09:13 UTC)
69.0627°N 146.9973°W Depth 10.4 miles (16 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 48 miles (77 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 74 miles (119 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 75 miles (121 km) NW of Arctic Village
- 85 miles (137 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 88 miles (142 km) S of Prudhoe Bay
- 91 miles (147 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 110 miles (178 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 128 miles (207 km) E of Umiat
- 135 miles (218 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 139 miles (225 km) NE of Wiseman
- 143 miles (231 km) N of Venetie
- 293 miles (475 km) N of Fairbanks
- 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.