Magnitude 1.4 - 51 miles N of Arctic Village
September 11, 2023 16:35:59 AKDT (September 12, 2023 00:35:59 UTC)
68.8544°N 145.3347°W Depth 4.0 miles (6 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 87 miles (141 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 90 miles (145 km) SE of Pump Station #2
- 97 miles (157 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 106 miles (171 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 119 miles (192 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 121 miles (196 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 125 miles (202 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 131 miles (212 km) N of Venetie
- 158 miles (256 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 158 miles (256 km) NE of Wiseman
- 159 miles (257 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 285 miles (462 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.
