Alaska Earthquake in 1964 Strongest in US History
The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that began at around 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday , March 27, 1964. Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing buildings, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 131 deaths.
Lasting nearly four minutes, it was the most powerful recorded earthquake in U.S. and North America n history, and the second most powerful ever measured by seismograph. It had a magnitude of 9.2, at the time making it the second largest earthquake in recorded history.
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), particularly in the several landslide zones along Knik Arm. Two hundred miles southwest, some areas near Kodiak were permanently raised by 30 feet (9.1 m). Southeast of Anchorage, areas around the head of Turnagain Arm near Girdwood and Portage dropped as much as 8 feet (2.4 m), requiring reconstruction and fill to raise the Seward Highway above the new high tide mark.
Meanwhile, a new earthquake struck Alaska early Friday morning of September 2, 2011. The strong subsea 6.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded near the Fox Islands of Alaska.
According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck at a depth of 35.5 km. Its epicenter was located 45 km (27 miles) SW of Amukta Island, Alaska; 85 km (52 miles) SW of Yunaska Island, Alaska; 1658 km (1030 miles) WSW of Anchorage, Alaska; and 2410 km (1497 miles) W of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.
No casualties, damage or injuries were reported after the recent Alaska earthquake.
Source: Facebook
I am patiently waiting for the press release from Sarah Palin, explaining exactly what sign we are being given.
We were living on Adak when the 1964 quake hit Anchorage. We didn’t feel the quake. My husband was on duty and working and I happened to have our short band radio on and heard the news. He arrived soon after that to say we had to evacuate “up to the hill” and out of base housing as a tsunami was predicted. I can remember how hard I was shaking never having experienced anything of this size on Adak and never a concern of a tsunami. Now live in CA and have tremors pretty often and it’s always a feeling of WOW! is this the BIG ONE….Thank God we haven’t had that one yet and pray we don’t. But He does know how to get our attention. AMEN
.
THIS EARTHQUAKE WAS SO STRONG THAT IT DID DAMAGE AND A TIDAL WAVE IN DELACROIX ISLAND WHICH IS A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE IN LOWER ST. BERNARD PARISH, IN LOUISIANA.I WILL NEVER FORGET IT. WE WERE IN THE DEN AND MY DAUGHTER HAD JUST BEGUN BEAUTY SCHOOL AND MY SON WAS TEASING HER ABOUT HER SHORT,TIGHT UNIFORM AND WE WERE LAUGHING SO MUCH WE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING, A FRIEND CALLED AND TOLD ME TO GO OUT TO THE FRONT AND SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. wHEN i OPENED THE FRONT DOOR I SAW THE LARGE WAVW GOING DOWN THE BAYOU AND BOATS WERE ROLLING WITH IT. PEOPLE WERE KNEELING IN THE ROAD AND PRAYING. I HAD PANELED MY LIVING ROOM AND NAILED PANELING ALL THAT DAY AND I JUST KNEW THAT GOD WAS PUNISHING ME FOR NAILING ON GOOD FRIDAY. WHEN IT PASSED AND WE WENT BACK IBSIDE WE HEARD ON THE T.V. ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE IN ALASKA. IT ALSO CRACKED ALL THE TERRAZO FLOORS IN THE AREA.JUST RECENTLY I WAS TELLING MY GRANDSON ABOUT IT AND HE TOLD ME “NO WAY, IMPOSSIBLE. I LOOKED IT UP ON THE COMPUTER AND PRINTED IT FOR HIM AND HE WAS LIKE.” I AM SO SORRY I DIDN’Y BELIEVE YOU MAW-MAW.
I was 11 years old and lived in Anchorage at 13th ave. and Cordova street. I was with my babysitter and can remember us hanging on to the wall as everthing shook around us. We were hysterical, and it lasted a long time.
My mother was working in a liquor store right down in the worst struck part of 4th avenue downtown, all the bottles broke, but she was OK. She said when it was all over she was standing outside the store with both hand full of money from the till, and didn’t know how she got there because she was so panicked.
My older brother was upstairs in the JC Penneys building and said it was aweful dark in there until the front of the building fell off. He too escaped without injury, but when he was running from the building he pushed a lady out of the way just before a slab from the building landed where she had been standing.
We spent a many days afterwards without gas, electric, or water, and ate sea rashions the military handed out.
We were very blessed to be alive. All the roads were broken up and difficult to manuever for a long time.
To this day when the earth shakes I get panicked. You never forget that feeling of helplessness.
I was almost 4 years old and lived on Aviation Hill on Kodiak Island. I will never forget the “BIG ONE” I will never forget the aftershocks that kept coming also. I also lived near Spokane Washington when Mt. St Helens went off on May 18, 1980. We were in direct line of fall out and wore dust masks until things settled down. One thing I have learned in life is that nothing is more humbling than an act of nature. Who knows when or where the next big thing will be. Live each day as if it is your last. One day it will be. Enjoy all that you have in life.
I was stationed at the 717th AC&W Squadron @ Takotna, also called Tatalina. It was “Call Home Night” and I had completed my call & was waiting on the rest of the crew to finish theirs so that we could start the Friday night movie.
The ground started moving things fell from the shelves. While the earth quake wasn’t strong enough to damage any of the facilities, it was sure strong enough to put the fear of God in us.
The “Call Home Night” was suspended and we watched our movie. It took several days for us to get details as to what had happened.