Magnitude 4.9 - 48 miles SW of Kaktovik
January 13, 2019 15:41:19 AKST (January 14, 2019 00:41:19 UTC)
69.6240°N 145.0273°W Depth 3.5 miles (5 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 86 miles (139 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 90 miles (145 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 90 miles (145 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 96 miles (155 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 104 miles (168 km) N of Arctic Village
- 108 miles (175 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 136 miles (220 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 173 miles (280 km) E of Umiat
- 184 miles (298 km) N of Venetie
- 196 miles (317 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 200 miles (324 km) NE of Wiseman
- 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.