The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27.[2] Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 139 deaths.[3](Wikipedia)
Lasting four minutes and thirty-eight seconds, the magnitude 9.2 megathrust earthquake was the most powerful recorded in North American history, and the second most powerful recorded in world history. Soil liquefaction, fissures, landslides, and other ground failures caused major structural damage in several communities and much damage to property. Anchorage sustained great destruction or damage to many inadequately earthquake 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.
In Prince William Sound, Port Valdez suffered a massive underwater landslide, resulting in the deaths of 30 people between the collapse of the Valdez city harbor and docks, and inside the ship that was docked there at the time. Nearby, a 27-foot (8.2 m) tsunami destroyed the village of Chenega, killing 23 of the 68 people who lived there; survivors out-ran the wave, climbing to high ground. 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.[4] Tsunamis also caused damage in Hawaii and Japan. Evidence of motion directly related to the earthquake was also reported from Florida and Texas. (Wikipedia)
All five of us were in downtown Anchorage when the quake hit. My mother was in the J.C. Penney building, one brother was in the Denali Theatre on 4th Avenue watching The Sword in The Stone, I was with my Dad and other brother getting ready to cross 4th Avenue.
J.C. Penney building suffered extensive damage. Mom was in the building and made it into the interior stairwell where she, amazingly, suffered only minor physical injury when a sheet of drywall came down grazing her arm
J.C. Penney building
Denali Theatre – my brother was watching The Sword and the Stone and remembers the projector being ejected out of the projector room – he escaped without injury
Downtown Anchorage
Twisted beam in Cordova building in downtown Anchorage
Hillside Apartments Anchorage
Collapsed Four Seasons apartment building that was under construction at the time – Anchorage
L Street Apartment Building – zoom in to see damage
Sunken buildings on L Street
Damaged home in Anchorage – zoom in to get a closer look
Outdoor kitchen for earthquake victims – water and power were out for much of Anchorage
Locomotive carried 150 feet inland by tsunami
Quake damaged oil tanks in Whittier
Quake damaged RR tracks at Potter Hill outside Anchorage
My most vivid memory of the quake was standing on the downtown street corner. I was holding tightly to my Dad’s hand watching the plate glass windows in the buildings surrounding us shatter and the stores across the street dropping nearly out of site. The following link shows how much the ground dropped in the section of downtown where we were:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a1967/4219868/
This link details how the quake changed science:
