Magnitude 2.3 - 8 miles SW of Ambler
March 4, 2023 22:12:37 AKST (March 5, 2023 07:12:37 UTC)
66.9881°N 157.9891°W Depth 8.3 miles (13 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 24 miles (38 km) W of Shungnak
- 31 miles (50 km) W of Kobuk
- 61 miles (98 km) NE of Selawik
- 66 miles (107 km) E of Kiana
- 83 miles (134 km) E of Noorvik
- 100 miles (162 km) NW of Huslia
- 103 miles (167 km) NE of Buckland
- 122 miles (197 km) NW of Hughes
- 125 miles (202 km) E of Kotzebue
- 139 miles (225 km) E of Noatak
- 145 miles (235 km) NE of Deering
- 271 miles (439 km) NE of Nome
- Magnitude type: Ml
- 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.
