Magnitude 2.4 - 51 miles S of Kaktovik
September 28, 2020 00:34:56 AKDT (September 28, 2020 08:34:56 UTC)
69.3949°N 143.8607°W Depth 2.4 miles (3 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 97 miles (157 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 114 miles (184 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 122 miles (197 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 122 miles (197 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 128 miles (207 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 128 miles (207 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 152 miles (246 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 170 miles (275 km) NW of Old Crow
- 177 miles (286 km) N of Venetie
- 189 miles (306 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 199 miles (322 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 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.