![]() ![]() Coastal forests plunged below sea level and were destroyed by salt water. ![]() Geological surveys taken immediately afterward showed parts of the Alaskan coast sank up to eight feet, other parts rose up to 38 feet and much of the coast moved 50 feet towards the ocean. 1964 Alaska Earthquake Changes the Coastlineįour minutes may not seem like a long time, but when it comes to earthquakes, it’s an eternity, and tremors during the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 lasted at least four minutes. The death toll reached 131 people: 15 died during the initial tremors and the rest in the subsequent tsunamis and landslides. The earthquake triggered a swell of devastating tsunamis, landslides and submarine slumps which caused massive property damage and loss of life. Seismic waves caused the earth to “ring like a bell.”Īs bad as the tremors were, the worst was yet to come. It effortlessly toppled telephone poles, buckled railroad tracks, split roads in half, uprooted buildings, cars and docks and tore homes apart. The violent shaking led to water, sewer and gas line breaks and widespread telephone and electrical failures. They recalled seeing asphalt roads rise and fall like waves and the ground opening and closing before them, water shooting up through the ensuing cracks. on March 27, 1964-Good Friday-the earth trembled just as many Alaskans were sitting down to dinner.Įyewitnesses described hearing a crunching, grinding noise as the earth shook. ![]()
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