Magnitude 0.9 - 73 miles SW of Kaktovik
May 16, 2023 16:47:35 AKDT (May 17, 2023 00:47:35 UTC)
69.1596°N 144.8782°W Depth 2.9 miles (4 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 74 miles (119 km) N of Arctic Village
- 92 miles (149 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 100 miles (162 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 111 miles (179 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 112 miles (181 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 117 miles (189 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 123 miles (199 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 154 miles (249 km) N of Venetie
- 176 miles (285 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 176 miles (285 km) NW of Old Crow
- 178 miles (288 km) E of Umiat
- 308 miles (499 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.
