Magnitude 2.5 - 49 miles S of Kaktovik
January 29, 2024 06:50:17 AKST (January 29, 2024 15:50:17 UTC)
69.4299°N 143.2288°W Depth 15.6 miles (25 km)
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist
- 107 miles (173 km) NE of Arctic Village
- 129 miles (209 km) E of Pump Station #2
- 134 miles (217 km) E of Deadhorse
- 134 miles (217 km) SE of Prudhoe Bay
- 140 miles (226 km) E of Pump Station #1
- 144 miles (233 km) E of Pump Station #3
- 162 miles (262 km) NW of Old Crow
- 167 miles (270 km) NE of Pump Station #4
- 186 miles (301 km) NE of Venetie
- 192 miles (311 km) N of Chalkyitsik
- 205 miles (332 km) N of Fort Yukon
- 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.
