Magnitude 4.1 - 44 miles SW of Kaktovik
January 23, 2023 12:44:39 AKST (January 23, 2023 21:44:39 UTC)
69.6054°N 144.6979°W Depth 14.6 miles (23 km)
No reports of this event being felt have been received at this time.
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 94 miles (152 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 97 miles (157 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 97 miles (157 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 103 miles (167 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 105 miles (170 km) N of Arctic Village
- 114 miles (184 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 141 miles (228 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 181 miles (293 km) E of Umiat
- 185 miles (299 km) N of Venetie
- 194 miles (314 km) NW of Old Crow
- 202 miles (327 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- Magnitude type: Mwr
- 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.
