Magnitude 2.9 - 69 miles N of Arctic Village
March 18, 2023 07:29:14 AKDT (March 18, 2023 15:29:14 UTC)
69.0569°N 144.5664°W Depth 7.9 miles (12 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 77 miles (124 km) S of Kaktovik
- 102 miles (165 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 107 miles (173 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 121 miles (196 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 123 miles (199 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 128 miles (207 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 128 miles (207 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 149 miles (241 km) N of Venetie
- 166 miles (269 km) NW of Old Crow
- 168 miles (272 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 174 miles (282 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 304 miles (492 km) N of Fairbanks
- 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.
