Magnitude 1.5 - 43 miles N of Arctic Village
May 17, 2023 13:15:44 AKDT (May 17, 2023 21:15:44 UTC)
68.7463°N 145.3322°W Depth 4.6 miles (7 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 88 miles (142 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 94 miles (152 km) SE of Pump Station #2
- 104 miles (168 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 104 miles (168 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 123 miles (199 km) N of Venetie
- 125 miles (202 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 127 miles (205 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 131 miles (212 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 151 miles (244 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 151 miles (244 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 154 miles (249 km) NE of Wiseman
- 278 miles (450 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.
