On March 27, 1964, Alaska was rocked by a massive 9.2 magnitude earthquake, which reverberated throughout much of Canada and the continental United States. Referred to as “The Great Alaska Earthquake,” this disaster was the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America, and the second largest ever recorded in world history. It lasted for three minutes, and its thousands of aftershocks were felt for months after the initial earthquake.

People remember this destructive earthquake for the significant damage it caused to many Alaskan towns. In the state’s largest city, Anchorage, buildings and homes collapsed, and large fissures opened in the roads. Other towns experienced incredible changes to their landscapes. Some coastlines were permanently raised, while other areas dissolved into the ocean, taking seaside towns and residents with them. This is exactly what happened to the seaside town of Valdez, Alaska. In I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964, Tarshis describes how the earthquake caused the little town to “melt” into the sea. This was due to the underwater landslide that dissolved the sandy foundations of the town and caused it to crumble, collapsing homes and docks into the harbor. In the story, Jackson and his friends run inland to avoid a potential tsunami, a natural disaster that goes hand in hand with earthquakes in coastal areas. While this didn’t afflict Valdez, other towns were not so lucky: A massive 27-foot tsunami destroyed the village of Chenega. A combination of factors, from the powerful shaking of the initial quake to the floods and fires that followed, decimated other towns like Kodiak, Seward, and Whittier (“The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake.” Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management). 

Following the earthquake, geologists were able to better study the plate tectonics along the Alaska-Aleutian Megathrust fault, adding to their understanding of how earthquakes occur in this region and how towns and cities can best prepare themselves for these kinds of disasters.