Magnitude 3.7 - 14 miles W of Kaktovik
February 17, 2023 14:35:07 AKST (February 17, 2023 23:35:07 UTC)
70.1187°N 144.2321°W Depth 11.8 miles (19 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 97 miles (157 km) E of Prudhoe Bay
- 98 miles (158 km) E of Deadhorse
- 103 miles (167 km) E of Pump Station #1
- 113 miles (183 km) NE of Pump Station #2
- 142 miles (230 km) N of Arctic Village
- 142 miles (230 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 172 miles (278 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 196 miles (317 km) E of Umiat
- 215 miles (348 km) NW of Old Crow
- 222 miles (359 km) N of Venetie
- 230 miles (372 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 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.
