Magnitude 3.2 - 47 miles S of Kaktovik
September 13, 2021 23:39:18 AKDT (September 14, 2021 07:39:18 UTC)
69.4500°N 143.8034°W Depth 4.9 miles (7 km)
This event has not been reviewed by a seismologist
- 101 miles (163 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 115 miles (186 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 121 miles (196 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 121 miles (196 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 127 miles (205 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 131 miles (212 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 155 miles (251 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 172 miles (278 km) NW of Old Crow
- 181 miles (293 km) N of Venetie
- 193 miles (312 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 202 miles (327 km) E of Umiat
- 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.