Magnitude 2.0 - 42 miles SW of Kaktovik
March 6, 2023 18:31:18 AKST (March 7, 2023 03:31:18 UTC)
69.6201°N 144.5938°W Depth 15.9 miles (25 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 96 miles (155 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 99 miles (160 km) E of Deadhorse
- 99 miles (160 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 105 miles (170 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 106 miles (171 km) N of Arctic Village
- 117 miles (189 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 144 miles (233 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 183 miles (296 km) E of Umiat
- 186 miles (301 km) N of Venetie
- 193 miles (312 km) NW of Old Crow
- 205 miles (332 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 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.
