Magnitude 1.3 - 42 miles S of Kaktovik
March 6, 2023 00:33:58 AKST (March 6, 2023 09:33:58 UTC)
69.5142°N 143.6517°W Depth 1.7 miles (2 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 107 miles (173 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 119 miles (192 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 122 miles (197 km) E of Prudhoe Bay
- 123 miles (199 km) E of Deadhorse
- 129 miles (209 km) E of Pump Station #1
- 135 miles (218 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 160 miles (259 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 173 miles (280 km) NW of Old Crow
- 187 miles (303 km) N of Venetie
- 198 miles (321 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 206 miles (334 km) E of Umiat
- 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.
