Good Friday Earthquake
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The Good Friday Earthquake (also called the Great Alaska Earthquake) of Friday, March 27, 1964, was the most powerful earthquake in U.S. and North American history. As of 2006, it remains the third most powerful earthquake measured in modern times anywhere in the world. The magnitude 9.2 earthquake, which resulted in 131 deaths, was centered in Prince William Sound off the coast of South Central Alaska. The powerful earthquake also caused some parts of Alaska to be liquefied, causing much damage to property and leading to landslides.
The earthquake
At 5:36 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (3:36 a.m. March 28, 1964 UTC), just as people were travelling home, a fault between the Pacific and North American plates ruptured near College Fjord in Prince William Sound. The earthquake lasted for three to five minutes in most areas. Ocean floor shifts created large tsunamis (up to 67 meters in height), which resulted in many of the deaths and much of the property damage. Vertical displacement of up to 11.5 m (38 feet) occurred, affecting an area of 250,000 km² (100,000 miles²) within Alaska.Death toll and damage
131 people were killed as a result of the earthquake: nine in the earthquake itself, 115 from tsunamis in Alaska, and 16 from tsunamis in Oregon and California. Property damage was estimated at over $300 million ($1.8 billion in 2006 U.S. dollars).Anchorage area
Most property damage occurred in Anchorage, 120 km (75 mi) northwest of the epicenter. Nine people were killed, the only deaths directly attributed to the earthquake. Anchorage was not hit by tsunamis, but downtown Anchorage was heavily damaged, and parts of the city built on clay or near bluffs, most notably the Turnagain Heights neighborhood, suffered landslide damage. Most other areas of the city were only moderately damaged
The small coastal towns of Girdwood and Portage, located approximately 60 km (40 mi) southeast of Anchorage on Turnagain Arm, were destroyed. Girdwood was later relocated a few miles inland, while Portage, which subsided below the high-water level, was abandoned entirely.
Elsewhere in Alaska
Most towns in the Prince William Sound, Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak Island areas, especially the major ports such as Seward and Kodiak, were heavily hit by a combination of seismic damage, tsunamis, subsidence, and/or fire. Valdez was destroyed; the town was later moved to more solid ground 7 km (4 mi) west of its original site. Several of the smaller, low-lying Alaska Native villages in the area (such as Chenega and Afognak) were mostly or totally destroyed. The earthquake also caused the ballistic missile detection radar of Clear Air Force Station to go offline for six minutes, the only unscheduled interruption in its operational history.
Canada
A 1.4 m (4.5 ft) wave reached Prince Rupert, British Columbia, just south of the Alaska Panhandle, about 3.3 hours after the quake. The tsunami then reached Tofino, on the exposed west coast of Vancouver Island, and travelled up a fjord 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. Other towns along the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Hawaii 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 in Louisiana and water sloshed in wells in South Africa.
See also
External links
- [USGS report on the earthquake]
- [Information from the Alaska Earthquake Information Center]
- [U.S. Geological Survey Photo Library -- earthquake photos]
- [The Effects of the March 28, 1964 Alaska Tsunami in British Columbia, Canada]
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