Magnitude 2.3 - 25 miles NW of Beaver
December 22, 2023 20:06:12 AKST (December 23, 2023 05:06:12 UTC)
66.6817°N 147.7933°W Depth 7.4 miles (11 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 44 miles (71 km) SW of Venetie
- 59 miles (95 km) NE of Stevens Village
- 62 miles (100 km) NW of Birch Creek
- 70 miles (113 km) W of Fort Yukon
- 76 miles (123 km) SE of Coldfoot
- 79 miles (128 km) E of Pump Station #5
- 79 miles (128 km) NE of Pump Station #6
- 80 miles (129 km) SE of Wiseman
- 83 miles (134 km) N of Livengood
- 96 miles (155 km) N of Pump Station #7
- 105 miles (170 km) NE of Rampart
- 128 miles (207 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.
