Compare the damage sustained by the Hillside apartment building on left side and the adjacent three-story wood-frame dwelling with tall chimney. In general, wood frame buildings in Anchorage sustained little damage from seismic vibrations.
Video of 1964 Valdez Tsunami
4.5 minutes of shaking
The 1964 Earthquake Survivors
1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake Anchorage Walking Tour
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.
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The magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake is the largest recorded earthquake in U.S. history and the second-largest earthquake recorded with modern instruments. The earthquake was felt throughout most of mainland Alaska, as far west as Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands 800 miles away from Anchorage, and at Seattle, Washington, more than 1,200 miles to the southeast of the fault rupture, where the Space Needle swayed perceptibly. The earthquake caused rivers, lakes, and other waterways to slosh as far away as the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. Water-level recorders in 47 states—the entire Nation except for Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island—registered the earthquake. It was so large that it caused the entire Earth to ring like a bell: vibrations that were among the first of their kind ever recorded by modern instruments.
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).
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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. They were astonished to find that the earthquake was accompanied by vertical shifts of the Earth’s surface over an area two-thirds the size of California. Parts of the coast sank, or subsided, as much as 8 feet, and other parts rose by as much as 38 feet. In addition, geodetic surveys showed that much of coastal Alaska moved seaward at least 50 feet.
It is now recognized that major subduction-zone earthquakes produce a pattern of uplift of the coastline above the shallowest and most seaward part of a rupture, and that subsidence of the coastline occurs farther inland from the rupture. Most of the population of Alaska and its major transportation routes, ports, and infrastructure lie near the eastern segment of the Aleutian Trench that ruptured in the 1964 earthquake. 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.
VIDEO: The 1964 Tsunami in Valdez, Alaska
VIDEO: The 1964 Tsunami in Valdez, Alaska
VIDEO: 1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
VIDEO: 1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
VIDEO: Geologist George Plafker Public Talk
VIDEO: Geologist George Plafker Public Talk
Video: Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 - Magnitude 9.2 - Causes & Effects
Video: Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 - Magnitude 9.2 - Causes & Effects
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
By the Numbers:
- Magnitude 9.2
- Second largest earthquake ever recorded
- Shaking lasted 4.5 minutes
- 131 fatalities across many states: 115 in AK, 16 in OR and CA
- Of those, 119 died in tsunamis triggered by underwater landslides, not by the earthquake-induced tsunami
- $3.1 billion in property losses (2024 dollars)
- 36 feet (11m) max uplift on Montague Island
- 580-mile section of the fault plane ruptured in ~240 seconds
- 185,000 square miles of surface destruction, an area larger than California
- Lateral movements up to 67 feet (averaged 27 feet)
1964 Earthquake Survivor Stories
Listen
Listen to the astonishing stories told by survivors, including those at Chenega, as re-told by Henry Fountain (NPR).
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Get Ready Alaska Survivor Stories:
- Dr. James Taylor - Oct. 25, 2023 (00:08:46)
- Linda Dorner - April 25, 2023 (00:13:02)
- Oliver Holm - April 12, 2023 (00:33:28)
- Marie Lundstrom - March 22, 2023 (00:35:32)
Read
1964 Alaskan Earthquake – Personal Accounts (wordpress.com)
Earthquake and Tsunami Safety:
Earthquakes – Drop Cover and Hold ON!
- Feature Story: The Great ShakeOut
- Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964—Magnitude 9.2 —Causes & Effects (video 6:43)
- Alaska—Regional Tectonics and Earthquakes (video 8:39)
- Earthquake Intensity—What controls the shaking you feel? (video 8:17)
- Tectonic Plates—What are the lithospheric plates? (video 6:39)
- How to Prepare for an Earthquake
- What should I do During an earthquake? (USGS FAQs)
Tsunami – If you feel shaking for more than 20 seconds and it is difficult to stand, or the tsunami siren is heard move inland to higher ground.
- Valdez Prepared (Tsunami Awareness from 1964 to present) (video 6:10)
- Story Map: A Hidden Wave Emerges - Tsunami Hazard in Upper Cook Inlet
- Tsunamis in Alaska
- Coastal Alaska is Tsunami Country (Flyer)
- The 1964 Tsunami Propagation in the Pacific Ocean
- Tsunamis Generated by Megathrust Earthquakes (video 5:43)
The leap in scientific understanding from the 1964 earthquake has led to:
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The establishment of
- USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP)
- NOAA Tsunami Warning System (NOAA-TWS)
- Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS)
- National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC)
- Global Seismographic Network (GSN)
- Alaska Earthquake Center (AEC)
And major breakthroughs in
Additional Links:
Filter Total Items: 27
Two buildings on hillside
Compare the damage sustained by the Hillside apartment building on left side and the adjacent three-story wood-frame dwelling with tall chimney. In general, wood frame buildings in Anchorage sustained little damage from seismic vibrations.
Hillside apartment in Anchorage
The Hillside apartment building in Anchorage was severely damaged by the earthquake and has been razed. It was a split-level, five-story building with steel posts and lintels, concrete floor slabs, and unreinforced concrete block walls&nb
The Hillside apartment building in Anchorage was severely damaged by the earthquake and has been razed. It was a split-level, five-story building with steel posts and lintels, concrete floor slabs, and unreinforced concrete block walls&nb
Tsunami damage, Kodiak, Alaska
Close-up view of tsunami damage along the waterfront at Kodiak, Alaska.
Close-up view of tsunami damage along the waterfront at Kodiak, Alaska.
Tsunami damage at Seward, Alaska
Damage from seismic sea wave aka Tsunami in Seward, Alaska. The waves came in from the sea via Resurrection Bay in the background. A series of large tsunami waves were generated by sudden uplift of the sea floor beneath the continental shelf off south-central Alaska during the earthquake.
Damage from seismic sea wave aka Tsunami in Seward, Alaska. The waves came in from the sea via Resurrection Bay in the background. A series of large tsunami waves were generated by sudden uplift of the sea floor beneath the continental shelf off south-central Alaska during the earthquake.
Tsunami damage and high-water line at Seward, Alaska
The tsunami waves in Seward, Alaska washed the snow from the lower slopes of the hillsides, and the height of the highest wave is marked by the sharp "snow line" on the hillside behind and just above the rooftop in the left center of the photo.
The tsunami waves in Seward, Alaska washed the snow from the lower slopes of the hillsides, and the height of the highest wave is marked by the sharp "snow line" on the hillside behind and just above the rooftop in the left center of the photo.
Uplifted sea floor at Cape Cleare, Montague Island, Prince William Sound
Uplifted sea floor at Cape Cleare, Montague Island, Prince William Sound, in the area of greatest recorded tectonic uplift on land (33 feet). The very gently sloping flat rocky surface with the white coating which lies between the cliffs and the water is about a quarter of a mile wide. It is a wave-cut surface that was below sea level before the earthquake.
Uplifted sea floor at Cape Cleare, Montague Island, Prince William Sound, in the area of greatest recorded tectonic uplift on land (33 feet). The very gently sloping flat rocky surface with the white coating which lies between the cliffs and the water is about a quarter of a mile wide. It is a wave-cut surface that was below sea level before the earthquake.
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.
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake is the largest recorded earthquake in U.S. history and the second-largest earthquake recorded with modern instruments. The earthquake was felt throughout most of mainland Alaska, as far west as Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands 800 miles away from Anchorage, and at Seattle, Washington, more than 1,200 miles to the southeast of the fault rupture, where the Space Needle swayed perceptibly. The earthquake caused rivers, lakes, and other waterways to slosh as far away as the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. Water-level recorders in 47 states—the entire Nation except for Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island—registered the earthquake. It was so large that it caused the entire Earth to ring like a bell: vibrations that were among the first of their kind ever recorded by modern instruments.
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).
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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. They were astonished to find that the earthquake was accompanied by vertical shifts of the Earth’s surface over an area two-thirds the size of California. Parts of the coast sank, or subsided, as much as 8 feet, and other parts rose by as much as 38 feet. In addition, geodetic surveys showed that much of coastal Alaska moved seaward at least 50 feet.
It is now recognized that major subduction-zone earthquakes produce a pattern of uplift of the coastline above the shallowest and most seaward part of a rupture, and that subsidence of the coastline occurs farther inland from the rupture. Most of the population of Alaska and its major transportation routes, ports, and infrastructure lie near the eastern segment of the Aleutian Trench that ruptured in the 1964 earthquake. 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.
VIDEO: The 1964 Tsunami in Valdez, Alaska
VIDEO: The 1964 Tsunami in Valdez, Alaska
VIDEO: 1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
VIDEO: 1964 Quake: The Great Alaska Earthquake
VIDEO: Geologist George Plafker Public Talk
VIDEO: Geologist George Plafker Public Talk
Video: Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 - Magnitude 9.2 - Causes & Effects
Video: Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 - Magnitude 9.2 - Causes & Effects
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
By the Numbers:
- Magnitude 9.2
- Second largest earthquake ever recorded
- Shaking lasted 4.5 minutes
- 131 fatalities across many states: 115 in AK, 16 in OR and CA
- Of those, 119 died in tsunamis triggered by underwater landslides, not by the earthquake-induced tsunami
- $3.1 billion in property losses (2024 dollars)
- 36 feet (11m) max uplift on Montague Island
- 580-mile section of the fault plane ruptured in ~240 seconds
- 185,000 square miles of surface destruction, an area larger than California
- Lateral movements up to 67 feet (averaged 27 feet)
1964 Earthquake Survivor Stories
Listen
Listen to the astonishing stories told by survivors, including those at Chenega, as re-told by Henry Fountain (NPR).
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Get Ready Alaska Survivor Stories:
- Dr. James Taylor - Oct. 25, 2023 (00:08:46)
- Linda Dorner - April 25, 2023 (00:13:02)
- Oliver Holm - April 12, 2023 (00:33:28)
- Marie Lundstrom - March 22, 2023 (00:35:32)
Read
1964 Alaskan Earthquake – Personal Accounts (wordpress.com)
Earthquake and Tsunami Safety:
Earthquakes – Drop Cover and Hold ON!
- Feature Story: The Great ShakeOut
- Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964—Magnitude 9.2 —Causes & Effects (video 6:43)
- Alaska—Regional Tectonics and Earthquakes (video 8:39)
- Earthquake Intensity—What controls the shaking you feel? (video 8:17)
- Tectonic Plates—What are the lithospheric plates? (video 6:39)
- How to Prepare for an Earthquake
- What should I do During an earthquake? (USGS FAQs)
Tsunami – If you feel shaking for more than 20 seconds and it is difficult to stand, or the tsunami siren is heard move inland to higher ground.
- Valdez Prepared (Tsunami Awareness from 1964 to present) (video 6:10)
- Story Map: A Hidden Wave Emerges - Tsunami Hazard in Upper Cook Inlet
- Tsunamis in Alaska
- Coastal Alaska is Tsunami Country (Flyer)
- The 1964 Tsunami Propagation in the Pacific Ocean
- Tsunamis Generated by Megathrust Earthquakes (video 5:43)
The leap in scientific understanding from the 1964 earthquake has led to:
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The establishment of
- USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP)
- NOAA Tsunami Warning System (NOAA-TWS)
- Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS)
- National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC)
- Global Seismographic Network (GSN)
- Alaska Earthquake Center (AEC)
And major breakthroughs in
Additional Links:
Filter Total Items: 27
Two buildings on hillside
Compare the damage sustained by the Hillside apartment building on left side and the adjacent three-story wood-frame dwelling with tall chimney. In general, wood frame buildings in Anchorage sustained little damage from seismic vibrations.
Compare the damage sustained by the Hillside apartment building on left side and the adjacent three-story wood-frame dwelling with tall chimney. In general, wood frame buildings in Anchorage sustained little damage from seismic vibrations.
Hillside apartment in Anchorage
The Hillside apartment building in Anchorage was severely damaged by the earthquake and has been razed. It was a split-level, five-story building with steel posts and lintels, concrete floor slabs, and unreinforced concrete block walls&nb
The Hillside apartment building in Anchorage was severely damaged by the earthquake and has been razed. It was a split-level, five-story building with steel posts and lintels, concrete floor slabs, and unreinforced concrete block walls&nb
Tsunami damage, Kodiak, Alaska
Close-up view of tsunami damage along the waterfront at Kodiak, Alaska.
Close-up view of tsunami damage along the waterfront at Kodiak, Alaska.
Tsunami damage at Seward, Alaska
Damage from seismic sea wave aka Tsunami in Seward, Alaska. The waves came in from the sea via Resurrection Bay in the background. A series of large tsunami waves were generated by sudden uplift of the sea floor beneath the continental shelf off south-central Alaska during the earthquake.
Damage from seismic sea wave aka Tsunami in Seward, Alaska. The waves came in from the sea via Resurrection Bay in the background. A series of large tsunami waves were generated by sudden uplift of the sea floor beneath the continental shelf off south-central Alaska during the earthquake.
Tsunami damage and high-water line at Seward, Alaska
The tsunami waves in Seward, Alaska washed the snow from the lower slopes of the hillsides, and the height of the highest wave is marked by the sharp "snow line" on the hillside behind and just above the rooftop in the left center of the photo.
The tsunami waves in Seward, Alaska washed the snow from the lower slopes of the hillsides, and the height of the highest wave is marked by the sharp "snow line" on the hillside behind and just above the rooftop in the left center of the photo.
Uplifted sea floor at Cape Cleare, Montague Island, Prince William Sound
Uplifted sea floor at Cape Cleare, Montague Island, Prince William Sound, in the area of greatest recorded tectonic uplift on land (33 feet). The very gently sloping flat rocky surface with the white coating which lies between the cliffs and the water is about a quarter of a mile wide. It is a wave-cut surface that was below sea level before the earthquake.
Uplifted sea floor at Cape Cleare, Montague Island, Prince William Sound, in the area of greatest recorded tectonic uplift on land (33 feet). The very gently sloping flat rocky surface with the white coating which lies between the cliffs and the water is about a quarter of a mile wide. It is a wave-cut surface that was below sea level before the earthquake.