Magnitude 4.1 - 45 miles S of Kaktovik
December 23, 2023 14:47:51 AKST (December 23, 2023 23:47:51 UTC)
69.5028°N 144.1301°W Depth 2.5 miles (4 km)
No reports of this event being felt have been received at this time.
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 102 miles (165 km) N of Arctic Village
- 107 miles (173 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 113 miles (183 km) SE of Deadhorse
- 113 miles (183 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 119 miles (192 km) SE of Pump Station #1
- 124 miles (201 km) NE of Pump Station #3
- 150 miles (243 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 180 miles (291 km) NW of Old Crow
- 182 miles (295 km) N of Venetie
- 194 miles (314 km) E of Umiat
- 197 miles (319 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- Magnitude type: Mb2
- 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.
