Magnitude 3.8 - 15 miles S of Central
January 4, 2023 07:10:38 AKST (January 4, 2023 16:10:38 UTC)
65.3500°N 144.8121°W Depth 5.0 miles (8 km)
This event was felt in the central region of Alaska.
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 39 miles (63 km) SW of Circle
- 69 miles (111 km) SE of Birch Creek
- 79 miles (128 km) E of Chatanika
- 81 miles (131 km) NE of Pump Station #8
- 82 miles (132 km) NE of Eielson AFB
- 85 miles (137 km) S of Fort Yukon
- 85 miles (137 km) NE of North Pole
- 86 miles (139 km) E of Fox
- 87 miles (141 km) NE of Salcha
- 89 miles (144 km) NE of Fort Wainwright
- 91 miles (147 km) NE of Fairbanks
- Magnitude type: Ml
- Event type: earthquake
Tectonic Setting of Interior Alaska
Interior Alaska seismicity reflects transpression and block rotation. Three different types of
tectonic structures contribute to generating seismicity in this region: right-lateral strike-slip
faults (Denali, Tintina, Kaltag), north-northeast-trending seismic zones (Minto, Fairbanks, Salcha,
Dall City, Rampart), and thrust faults in the northern foothills of the Alaska Range. The largest
event recorded in the Interior was the 1937 M7.3 Salcha Earthquake. It produced extensive ground
failures in the epicentral area, but there was no documented evidence of surface rupture. Other
notable events include the 1968 M7.1 Rampart, the 1985 M6.1 Dall City, and the 1995 M6.0 Minto Flats
earthquakes. The Fairbanks Seismic Zone was the site of three M5-6 earthquakes in 1967. A M7.2
thrusting event occurred in 1947 at the front edge of the northern foothills of the Alaska Range
and south of the Salcha Seismic Zone. This event, along with current seismic activity, is indicative
of ongoing thrusting deformation on the north side of the central Alaska Range. East of longitude
146 degrees west, the seismic activity between the Tintina Fault to the north and the Denali Fault to the
south decreases considerably.
