Magnitude 1.5 - 72 miles S of Kaktovik
May 15, 2023 21:45:19 AKDT (May 16, 2023 05:45:19 UTC)
69.1300°N 144.5291°W Depth 9.4 miles (15 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 74 miles (119 km) N of Arctic Village
- 101 miles (163 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 108 miles (175 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 119 miles (192 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 120 miles (194 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 125 miles (202 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 130 miles (210 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 154 miles (249 km) N of Venetie
- 168 miles (272 km) NW of Old Crow
- 172 miles (278 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 179 miles (290 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 309 miles (501 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.
