Good Friday Earthquake Alaska,1964

1. Good Friday Earthquake Alaska,1964 Katie Puthoff Gwen Harpring

2. How it began… • Years of plate tectonic activity created pressure along a fault line causing the earthquake. • On March 27, 1964 at 5:36 PM the earthquake began. • The initial seismic waves were so powerful that some buildings as far away as Seattle were swaying.

3. During the Earthquake… • For almost 5 minutes the ground shook, causing houses and buildings to twist and collapse. • The Good Friday Earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2 on the Richter Scale.

4. Effects of the Earthquake… • This earthquake was the second largest earthquake ever recorded in world history, leaving Anchorage in ruins. • There were almost 10,000 aftershocks of the quake that lasted for 18 months after the disaster.

5. Some of the effects of the earthquakes can still be seen today: dead trees, piles of ruins, and remnants of some of the destroyed structures. 115 lives were lost during the 1964 earthquake as a result of the earthquake that covered more than 25,000 square miles of land. Damage was also done to neighboring cities. Valdez, the city closest to the epicenter, was completely destroyed. More effects…

6. Alaska & Earthquakes… • This quake altered more of the earth’s crust than any other earthquake on record. • Alaska is one of the world’s most seismically active areas. • 11% of the world’s earthquakes occur in Alaska.

7. Some of the damage…

8. Affected Areas

9. The ground rose and fell in waves and huge cracks opened and snapped shut in the ground.

10. Uprooted trees and houses…

11. More damage…

12. Resources • http://www.greatlandofalaska.com/reference/GoodFridayQuake.html • http://www.valdezalaska.org/ history/earthquake.html • http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/ historic/c&gs/theb1340.htm