Magnitude 1.6 - 53 miles N of Arctic Village
September 11, 2023 17:06:29 AKDT (September 12, 2023 01:06:29 UTC)
68.8778°N 145.213°W Depth 3.3 miles (5 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 90 miles (145 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 92 miles (149 km) SE of Pump Station #2
- 94 miles (152 km) SW of Kaktovik
- 109 miles (176 km) E of Pump Station #4
- 119 miles (192 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 121 miles (196 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 126 miles (204 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 133 miles (215 km) N of Venetie
- 159 miles (257 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 160 miles (259 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 162 miles (262 km) NE of Wiseman
- 287 miles (465 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.
