1964 Alaska earthquake
The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, happened at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964.[1] Across south-central Alaska (mainly in Anchorage), ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis were caused by the earthquake. It caused about 139 deaths.
The earthquake lasted four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. It was a magnitude 9.2 earthquake. It remains the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history, and the second most powerful earthquake recorded in world history.
Nearby, a 27-foot (8.2 m) tsunami destroyed the village of Chenega, killing 23 of the 68 people who lived there. Post-quake tsunamis severely affected Whittier, Seward, Kodiak, and other Alaskan communities, as well as people and property in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.[2]
Tsunamis also caused damage in Hawaii and Japan. Evidence of motion directly related to the earthquake was also reported from Florida and Texas.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ US Geological Survey report on the earthquake Archived 2009-08-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ USC, Tsunami Research Group. "1964 Alaskan Tsunami". University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
This short article about the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.