Magnitude 3.7 - 53 miles SW of Kaktovik
July 22, 2023 17:55:23 AKDT (July 23, 2023 01:55:23 UTC)
69.6071°N 145.2553°W Depth 4.2 miles (6 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 80 miles (129 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 85 miles (137 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 86 miles (139 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 91 miles (147 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 102 miles (165 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 103 miles (167 km) N of Arctic Village
- 131 miles (212 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 167 miles (270 km) E of Umiat
- 182 miles (295 km) N of Venetie
- 190 miles (308 km) NE of Anaktuvuk Pass
- 195 miles (316 km) NE of Wiseman
- Magnitude type: Ml2
- 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.
