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The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake Anchorage Walking Tour
The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami
By Alaska Science Center
August 22, 2024
On March 27, 1964 at 5:36 p.m. local time an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 occurred in the Prince William Sound region of Alaska, approximately 15.5 miles (25 km) beneath the surface. Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage, located west of the fault rupture, sustained heavy property damage.
About the Earthquake
About the Earthquake
The magnitude 9.2 earthquake was the largest recorded earthquake in U.S. history. The Great Alaska Earthquake, also known as the Good Friday Earthquake, occurred at a pivotal time in the history of earth science and helped lead to the acceptance of plate tectonic theory. All large subduction zone earthquakes are understood through insights learned from the 1964 event, and observations and interpretations of the earthquake have influenced the design of infrastructure and seismic monitoring systems now in place. The earthquake caused extensive damage across the State and triggered local tsunamis that devastated the Alaskan towns of Whittier, Valdez, and Seward.
In Anchorage, the main cause of damage was ground shaking, which lasted approximately 4.5 minutes. Many buildings could not withstand this motion and were damaged or collapsed even though their foundations remained intact. More significantly, ground shaking triggered a number of landslides along coastal and drainage valley bluffs underlain by the Bootlegger Cove Formation, a composite of facies containing variably mixed gravel, sand, silt, and clay which were deposited over much of upper Cook Inlet during the Late Pleistocene. Cyclic (or strain) softening of the more sensitive clay facies caused overlying blocks of soil to slide sideways along surfaces dipping by only a few degrees. New research reveals that a tsunami did indeed reach the upper Cook Inlet that night on March 27th in 1964. View the storymap "A Hidden Wave Emerges."
Start Your Walking or Virtual Tour
Start Your Walking or Virtual Tour
This is an interactive web map created as part of the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake. The website features a map display with suggested tour stops in Anchorage and historical photographs taken shortly after the earthquake. Buildings in Anchorage that were severely damaged, sites of major landslides, and locations of post-earthquake engineering responses are highlighted. The web map can also be used online as a virtual tour.
The tour area only covers the city of Anchorage.
- An overview map shows the areas covered by the tour with numbered icons for each tour stop along with a description and photo.
- For simplicity, the stops have been sorted from east to west, so the numbers do not imply the order in which they should be visited, and directions to the stops are not given in this guide.
- Many of the stops are at locations where nearby parking is available or at public parks, but some are on private land where businesses are operating.
- Please be considerate of their business; park away from entrances and exits, make your visit short, and be polite if approached.
Many sites of historic damage show no present-day evidence of the earthquake as most of the massive landslides have been re-graded and developed, and some buildings that were damaged have been repaired whereas others have been removed for other reasons. Tour stops and photograph descriptions come verbatim from Hansen (1965), photograph captions accessed at the USGS Photographic Library or modified from other USGS sources.
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The Great Alaska Earthquake spawned thousands of lesser aftershocks and hundreds of damaging landslides, submarine slumps, and other ground failures. Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage, located west of the fault rupture, sustained heavy property damage. Tsunamis produced by the earthquake resulted in deaths and damage as far away as Oregon and California. Altogether the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis caused 131 fatalities and an estimated $3.1 billion in property losses (in 2024 dollars).
Geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were the first earth scientists to respond to the devastated region, and they mapped land-level changes resulting from the 1964 earthquake all along the coast of southern Alaska.
Although the Great Alaska Earthquake was tragic because of the loss of life and property, it provided a wealth of data about subduction-zone earthquakes and the hazards they pose. The leap in scientific understanding that followed the 1964 earthquake has led to major breakthroughs in earth science research worldwide.
Related Content
The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami
On March 27, 1964 at 5:36 p.m. local time an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 occurred in the Prince William Sound region of Alaska, approximately 15.5 miles (25 km) beneath the surface. In addition to the earthquake, the event triggered a major tsunami that caused casualties and damage from the Kodiak Islands to northern California.
Shaking in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska
This video presents a visualization of how the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska, shook during the M7.1 January 24, 2016, Iniskin, Alaska, earthquake. The building was instrumented by U.S. Geological Survey to obtain data to study its behavior and performance during strong shaking.
See English version already posted in Gallery
PubTalk 2/2014 — 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami 50th Anniv.
By George Plafker, USGS Geologist Emeritus
By George Plafker, USGS Geologist Emeritus
1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
"1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake" is an eleven minute video highlighting the impacts and effects of America's largest recorded earthquake. It is an expanded version of the four minute video "Magnitude 9.2". Both were created as part of USGS activities acknowledging the fifty year anniversary of the quake on March 27, 2014.
"1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake" is an eleven minute video highlighting the impacts and effects of America's largest recorded earthquake. It is an expanded version of the four minute video "Magnitude 9.2". Both were created as part of USGS activities acknowledging the fifty year anniversary of the quake on March 27, 2014.
Related Content
The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami
On March 27, 1964 at 5:36 p.m. local time an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 occurred in the Prince William Sound region of Alaska, approximately 15.5 miles (25 km) beneath the surface. In addition to the earthquake, the event triggered a major tsunami that caused casualties and damage from the Kodiak Islands to northern California.
Shaking in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska
This video presents a visualization of how the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska, shook during the M7.1 January 24, 2016, Iniskin, Alaska, earthquake. The building was instrumented by U.S. Geological Survey to obtain data to study its behavior and performance during strong shaking.
1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake (SPANISH)
See English version already posted in Gallery
See English version already posted in Gallery
PubTalk 2/2014 — 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami 50th Anniv.
By George Plafker, USGS Geologist Emeritus
By George Plafker, USGS Geologist Emeritus
1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
"1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake" is an eleven minute video highlighting the impacts and effects of America's largest recorded earthquake. It is an expanded version of the four minute video "Magnitude 9.2". Both were created as part of USGS activities acknowledging the fifty year anniversary of the quake on March 27, 2014.
"1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake" is an eleven minute video highlighting the impacts and effects of America's largest recorded earthquake. It is an expanded version of the four minute video "Magnitude 9.2". Both were created as part of USGS activities acknowledging the fifty year anniversary of the quake on March 27, 2014.
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