Magnitude 2.9 - 70 miles N of Arctic Village
September 15, 2023 20:13:48 AKDT (September 16, 2023 04:13:48 UTC)
69.0985°N 144.7299°W Depth 5.5 miles (8 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 76 miles (123 km) S of Kaktovik
- 97 miles (157 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 103 miles (167 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 116 miles (188 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 118 miles (191 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 123 miles (199 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 125 miles (202 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 151 miles (244 km) N of Venetie
- 171 miles (277 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 171 miles (277 km) NW of Old Crow
- 176 miles (285 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 305 miles (494 km) N of Fairbanks
- 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.
