- 1964 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 theGood Friday quake because it occurred during aChristian holy day associated with the crucifixion ofJesus and an earthquake that reportedly happened then. [ Good Friday is associated with the crucifixion of Jesus, followed by an earthquake according to , requiring reconstruction and fill to raise the Seward Highway above the new high tidemark. In Prince William Sound, a convert|27|ft|m|sing=on 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 caused damage in Hawaii and Japan.The earthquake
At 5:36 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 nearCollege Fjord in Prince William Sound. Theepicenter of the earthquake was coord|61.05|N|147.48|W|, 12.4 mi (20 km) north ofPrince William Sound , 78 miles (125 km) east of Anchorage and 40 miles (64 km) west of Valdez. The rupture occurred at a depth of approximately 15.5 mi (25km). Ocean floor shifts created largetsunami s (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 an area of 100,000 miles² (250,000 km²) withinAlaska .Type of fault
The Alaska Earthquake was a
Subduction Zone Earthquake.(Megathrust earthquake )Death toll, damage and casualties
Various sources indicate about 130 people died as a result of the earthquake: nine during the earthquake itself, 106 from subsequent tsunamis in
Alaska and 16 from tsunamis inOregon andCalifornia . Property damage was estimated at over $300 million ($1.8 billion in 2007 U.S. dollars).Anchorage area
Most property damage occurred in Anchorage, 75 mi (120 km) northwest of the
epicenter . Nine people were killed, the only deaths directly attributed to the earthquake. Anchorage was not hit by tsunamis, butdowntown Anchorage was heavily damaged, and parts of the city built on sandy bluffs overlying "Bootlegger Coveclay " near Cook Inlet, most notably the Turnagain neighborhood, sufferedlandslide damage. Land overlooking the Ship Creek valley near the Alaska Railroad yards also slid, destroying many acres of buildings and city blocks in downtown Anchorage. Most other areas of the city were only moderately damaged.The hamlets of Girdwood and Portage, located 30 and 40 mi (60 km) southeast of Anchorage on
Turnagain Arm , were destroyed by subsidence and subsequent tidal action. About convert|20|mi|km of the Seward Highway sank below the high-water mark of Turnagain Arm; the highway and its bridges were raised and rebuilt in 1964-65.Elsewhere in Alaska
Most coastal towns in the
Prince William Sound ,Kenai Peninsula , andKodiak Island areas, especially the major ports of Seward, Whittier and Kodiak were heavily damaged by a combination of seismic activity, subsidence, post-quake tsunamis and/or earthquake-causedfire s. Valdez was not totally destroyed, but after three years, the town relocated to higher ground 7 km (4 mi) west of its original site. SomeAlaska Native villages, including Chenega and Afognak were destroyed or damaged. The earthquake caused the Cold-War era ballistic missile detection radar ofClear Air Force Station to go offline for six minutes, the only unscheduled interruption in its operational history. Near Cordova, theMillion Dollar Bridge crossing the Copper River also collapsed.Canada
A 4.5 ft (1.4 m) wave reached
Prince Rupert, British Columbia , just south of theAlaska Panhandle , about three hours after the quake. The tsunami then reached Tofino, on the exposed west coast ofVancouver Island , and traveled up afjord to hit Port Alberni twice, damaging 375 homes and washing away 55 others. The towns of Hot Springs Cove, Zeballos, and Amai also saw damage. The damage in British Columbia was estimated at $10 million Canadian ($65 million in 2006 Canadian dollars, or $56 million in 2006 U.S. dollars).Elsewhere
Twelve people were killed by the tsunami in
Crescent City, California , while four children were killed on the Oregon Coast atBeverly Beach State Park . [Oregon’s pioneer spirit.Statesman Journal ,December 26 1999 .] Other towns along the U.S.Pacific Northwest andHawaii were damaged. Minor damage to boats reached as far south as Los Angeles.Since the entire
Earth vibrated as a result of the quake, minor effects were felt worldwide: several fishing boats were sunk inLouisiana and water sloshed in wells inSouth Africa . [ [http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=106 USGS Release: 40th Anniversary of "Good Friday" Earthquake Offers New Opportunities for Public and Building Safety Partnerships (3/26/2004) ] ]Aftershocks
Over 10,000 aftershocks were recorded following the main shock. In the first day alone, eleven major aftershocks were recorded with a magnitude greater than 6.0. Nine more occurred over the next three weeks. It was not until eighteen months later that the aftershocks were no longer noticed.
Gallery
ee also
*
List of earthquakes Notes
External links
* [http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1964_03_28.php USGS report on the earthquake]
* [http://137.227.241.37/cgi-bin/libcginw.cgi?SAME=1001Alaska+Earthquake+m%40Alaska+Earthquake+1964%40 U.S. Geological Survey Photo Library -- earthquake photos]
* [http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/64quake.htm The Great Alaskan Earthquake & Tsunamis of 1964 -- NOAA report]
* [http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1964Canada.html The Effects of the March 28, 1964 Alaska Tsunami in British Columbia, Canada]
* [http://www.vibrationdata.com/earthquakes/alaska.htm Eyewitness Accounts]
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