The Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964 Make the earth tremble at 17:36 rooms for about 4 minutes with a magnitude of 9.2becoming the most violent second earthquake ever recorded after that of Valdivia in Chile of 1960 of magnitude 9.5 and the most violent ever recorded in the United States. This catastrophic event also generated one tsunami which spread from the Kodiak islands to the northern California coasts, causing about 135 victims. With epicenter in Prince William Sound It is also known as the “Holy Friday earthquake” – In English Good Friday Earthquake – Since the Friday preceding Easter of that year took place, caused large damage from landslide And landslidein particular to Anchoragecapital of the American state.
The data on the earthquake in Alaska of 27 March 1964
THE’Alaska He was the protagonist of one of the most powerful natural phenomena in history when the March 27, 1964at 17:36 local time, the earth trembled for 4 minutes and a half with a magnitude of 9.2. Alaska, a region notoriously with high seismic activity, characterized by a variety of earthquakes, caused by the clash between tectonic plates and the subduction of the peaceful plate as well as by the activation of fault.
Even if at the time of the shock in Alaska there was only one seismograph Active, scientists used distant seismograph data, tsunami and soil measurements to understand how the 1964 earthquake took place. The earthquake was a subduction earthquakecaused by the clash between the peaceful plaque (an oceanic plaque) and the North American plate (a continental plaque). The crack in the earth’s crust in correspondence with the subduction between the plates is called Fossa delle Aleutine. The epicenter (60,908 ° n, 147.339 ° O) was in the Prince William Soundan inlet in the Alaska Gulf, at approximately 25 km deep, close to the mouth of the Fiordo Collegewest of Valdez and east of Anchoragethe capital of Alaska.
The earthquake sparked landslide, landslide and the collapse of several buildings. Just anchorage, located about 120 km from the epicenter, was the most affected city. The city center suffered serious damages, with about 30 isolates of damaged or destroyed residential and commercial buildings. Important buildings such as the JC Penney Building and the Four Seasons Apartment Buildingbut also many school buildings, they collapsed or were seriously damaged.
Huge damage occurred in different areas of the city, in particular a Turnagain Heightswhere a vast area was devastated by sudden landslides that destroyed about 75 homes. Infrastructures, such as water and gas pipelines, sewers and electrical and telephone networks, remained interrupted throughout the city.
The tsumer after the shocks in Alaska
The earthquake also triggered one tsunami which hit numerous cities along the Alaska Gulf and also caused damage to Port Alberni in Canada, along the western coast of the United States (where victims were counted in Oregon and California) and up to Hawaii. The highest wave, with a height of Ben 67 meterswas recorded in Valdez Inlet. Alaska had already been the victim in 1958 of the Tsunami of the Bay of Lituya, considered the highest ever recorded with waves up to 525 meters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cly_fw7tnbq
The estimates of the victims of this historic earthquake vary slightly depending on the source. THE’USGS (United States Geological Survey) reports 131 deathsof which 122 caused by the tsunami and 9 attributable directly to the earthquake. Other sources, such as the Noaa (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), indicate a slightly higher number, equal to 139 of which 124 due to the tsunami. The material damage, however, were estimated at approximately 2.3 billion dollars.
Despite its power and the devastation caused, the Alaska earthquake, fortunately, has not reached the mortality levels of other historical seismic events. The Shaanxi earthquake from 1556 in Chinafor example, remains the most lethal seismic disaster, with a number of victims estimated at around 830,000.
