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USGS · 70274206

Earthquake catalog for the Fairbanks region of central Alaska, 2014–2024, based on waveform cross-correlation

Abstract

The Fairbanks region of central Alaska is part of a broad zone of intraplate crustal deformation, situated north of the Denali fault and north of the ongoing collision and flat‐slab subduction of the Yakutat oceanic plateau. Seismicity in the Fairbanks region occurs both in diffuse areas as well as in well‐defined lineaments, such as the left‐lateral Salcha fault, which hosted the 1937 M 8 7.3 earthquake. Starting with the regional seismicity catalog, we perform waveform cross‐correlation, network‐matched filtering, and relative relocation to obtain an enhanced seismicity catalog over the time period 2014–2024. Based on the relocated catalog, we interpret a set of 15 fault segments, including two conjugate faults and two new faults east of the previously documented fault system. Considering the combined seismicity in the Minto and Fairbanks regions, the median depth of seismicity decreases from east (6 km) to west (20 km). Our interpreted faults provide guidance for future tectonic modeling and assessment of seismic hazards in this region.

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Nealey E. Sims, Carl Tape, Natalia A. Ruppert, Michael E. West. 2026-02-02. Earthquake catalog for the Fairbanks region of central Alaska, 2014–2024, based on waveform cross-correlation. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220250342

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