alaska earthquake

The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaska earthquake, began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Friday, March 27, 1964. Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing buildings, and tidal waves directly caused about 131 deaths. This Alaskan earthquake is also known as the Good Friday quake because it occurred during a Christian holy day.

Lasting nearly five minutes, it was the most powerful recorded earthquake in U.S. and North American history, and the third most powerful ever measured by seismograph; it had a moment magnitude of 9.2 and registered 8.4 on the Richter scale.

The powerful earthquake produced Earthquake liquefaction in the region. Ground fissures and failures caused major structural damage in several communities, much damage to property and several landslides. Anchorage sustained great destruction or damage to many inadequately engineered houses, buildings, and infrastructure (paved streets, sidewalks, water and sewer mains, electrical systems, and other man-made equipment). Two hundred miles southwest, some areas near Kodiak were permanently raised by 30 feet (9.1 m). East of Anchorage, areas around the head of Turnagain Arm near Portage dropped 8 feet (2.4 m), requiring reconstruction and fill to raise the Seward Highway above the new high tidemark. In Prince William Sound, a 27-foot (8.2 m) tsunami destroyed the village of Chenega, killing 23 of the 68 people who then lived there; survivors out-ran the wave, climbing to high ground. Post-quake tsunamis severely affected Valdez, Whittier, Seward, Kodiak, and other Alaskan Communities, as well as people and property in British Columbia, Oregon, and California. Tsunamis also caused damage in Hawaii and Japan. Contents [hide] 1 The earthquake 2 Type of fault 3 Death toll, damage and casualties 3.1 Anchorage area 3.2 Elsewhere in Alaska 3.3 Canada 3.4 Elsewhere 4 Aftershocks 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 External links //

The earthquake Earthquake epicenter

At 5:37 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (3:36 a.m. March 27, 1964 UTC), just as people were traveling home on a late-winter evening, a fault between the Pacific and North American plates ruptured near College Fjord in Prince William Sound. The epicenter of the earthquake was 61°03'N 147°29'W? / ?61.05°N 147.48°W? / 61.05; 147.48, 12.4 mi (20 km) north of Prince William Sound, 78 miles (125 km) east of Anchorage and 40 miles (64 km) west of Valdez. The focus occurred at a depth of approximately 15.5 mi (25km). Ocean floor shifts created large tsunamis (up to 70 feet (20 m) in height), which resulted in many of the deaths and much of the property damage. Large rockslides were also created which resulted in great property damage. Vertical displacement of up to 38 feet (11.5 m) occurred, affecting