Magnitude 2.1 - 18 miles N of Beaver
September 17, 2023 19:08:54 AKDT (September 18, 2023 03:08:54 UTC)
66.6059°N 147.5829°W Depth 7.8 miles (12 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 42 miles (68 km) SW of Venetie
- 55 miles (89 km) NW of Birch Creek
- 59 miles (95 km) NE of Stevens Village
- 64 miles (103 km) W of Fort Yukon
- 80 miles (129 km) N of Livengood
- 80 miles (129 km) NE of Pump Station #6
- 83 miles (134 km) SE of Coldfoot
- 85 miles (137 km) E of Pump Station #5
- 88 miles (142 km) SE of Wiseman
- 92 miles (149 km) N of Pump Station #7
- 104 miles (168 km) N of Chatanika
- 122 miles (197 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.
