The 1964 Anchorage Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami
What is commonly referred to as the Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami occurred on Good Friday in the Spring, March 27, 1964 at 5:36pm killing from 9-15 people, depending on the source. The resulting Tsunami killed approximately 130 people and caused $311 million in damage (2.4 billion in 2013 dollars).
The epicenter of the largest earthquake ever recorded in U. S. history, 9.2 magnitude, was estimated to be approximately 15 miles below the Prince William Sound and about 74 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The earthquake was felt all over the mainland and as far away as 480 miles in Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, 1200 miles away, was reported as obviously swaying. Rivers and lakes as far as Texas and Louisiana sloshed their banks. The entire nation, except Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island recorded the earthquake through water level recorders. It was said the entire Earth rang like a bell and instruments recorded vibrations never experienced or recorded. …show more content…
Subsequent research helped validate the theory of plate techtonics and the Aleutian Subduction Zone. Over 600 years of landform uplift finally gave way. The initial shaking caused liquefaction from the Spring melt and the proximity of the ocean saturating the soil and making it extremely unstable. When the spring-loaded trigger gave way it thrust the landmass towards the ocean for a period of 4.5 minutes during which most damage occurred. There was a vertical displacement of an area about 200,000 square miles. Prince William Sound experienced an uplift in land from 25 to 124 feet above sea level. The following swarm of aftershocks caused much of the damage in Anchorage as a result of landslides, submarine slumps, and other ground failures and experienced the most severe damage to
What is commonly referred to as the Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami occurred on Good Friday in the Spring, March 27, 1964 at 5:36pm killing from 9-15 people, depending on the source. The resulting Tsunami killed approximately 130 people and caused $311 million in damage (2.4 billion in 2013 dollars).
The epicenter of the largest earthquake ever recorded in U. S. history, 9.2 magnitude, was estimated to be approximately 15 miles below the Prince William Sound and about 74 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The earthquake was felt all over the mainland and as far away as 480 miles in Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, 1200 miles away, was reported as obviously swaying. Rivers and lakes as far as Texas and Louisiana sloshed their banks. The entire nation, except Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island recorded the earthquake through water level recorders. It was said the entire Earth rang like a bell and instruments recorded vibrations never experienced or recorded. …show more content…
Subsequent research helped validate the theory of plate techtonics and the Aleutian Subduction Zone. Over 600 years of landform uplift finally gave way. The initial shaking caused liquefaction from the Spring melt and the proximity of the ocean saturating the soil and making it extremely unstable. When the spring-loaded trigger gave way it thrust the landmass towards the ocean for a period of 4.5 minutes during which most damage occurred. There was a vertical displacement of an area about 200,000 square miles. Prince William Sound experienced an uplift in land from 25 to 124 feet above sea level. The following swarm of aftershocks caused much of the damage in Anchorage as a result of landslides, submarine slumps, and other ground failures and experienced the most severe damage to