Magnitude 3.5 - 52 miles NW of Arctic Village
September 5, 2019 10:00:57 AKDT (September 5, 2019 18:00:57 UTC)
68.7881°N 146.5088°W Depth 9.4 miles (15 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 58 miles (94 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 69 miles (111 km) SE of Pump Station #2
- 76 miles (123 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 107 miles (173 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 110 miles (178 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 114 miles (184 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 116 miles (188 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 123 miles (199 km) N of Venetie
- 133 miles (215 km) NE of Wiseman
- 140 miles (226 km) E of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 142 miles (230 km) NE of Coldfoot
- 275 miles (445 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.
