Magnitude 1.5 - 42 miles S of Kaktovik
September 11, 2023 21:35:21 AKDT (September 12, 2023 05:35:21 UTC)
69.5135°N 143.7362°W Depth 6.4 miles (10 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 106 miles (171 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 117 miles (189 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 121 miles (196 km) E of Deadhorse
- 121 miles (196 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 127 miles (205 km) E of Pump Station #1
- 133 miles (215 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 159 miles (257 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 174 miles (282 km) NW of Old Crow
- 186 miles (301 km) N of Venetie
- 198 miles (321 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 204 miles (330 km) E of Umiat
- 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.
