Magnitude 1.6 - 52 miles N of Arctic Village
September 11, 2023 17:00:15 AKDT (September 12, 2023 01:00:15 UTC)
68.8700°N 145.3035°W Depth 4.3 miles (6 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 88 miles (142 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 90 miles (145 km) SE of Pump Station #2
- 96 miles (155 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 107 miles (173 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 118 miles (191 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 120 miles (194 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 125 miles (202 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 132 miles (214 km) N of Venetie
- 159 miles (257 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 160 miles (259 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 160 miles (259 km) NE of Wiseman
- 286 miles (463 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.
