The Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. The 1964 M9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake, which is still the second largest earthquake ever recorded worldwide, began under Prince Alaska is part of the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. Subduction zone earthquakes follow the descent of the Pacific plate down to 200 km or more. This earthquake occured at the convergent boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. A crevasse ripped apart an elementary school that was closed for the day. 1.2 Tectonics of the great 1964 Alaska earthquake. The crust of southern Alaska was compressed and warped due to plate movement prior to the great earthquake after the plates locked together. This photo shows a landslide that was caused by the earthquake near Anchorage, Alaska. Check out Myrna Martin's award winning textbooks, e-books, videos and rock sets. Liquefaction in and around Anchorage tore the land apart. This animation discusses the range of tectonic activity from megathrust earthquakes to accretion of geologic terranes. spared many lives because schools were closed and few people were shopping on Good Friday. The main but not initial megathrust in the eastern part of the great 1964 Alaska M 9.2＋ earthquake was actually the yak thrusting west-southwest onto the Pacific plate (Reeder, 2016; Stauder and Bollinger, 1966; Wyss and Brune, 1967). The megathrust boundary between the plates results in both the 4,000-km-long Aleutian Trench and in the arc of active volcanoes that lie subparallel to the trench. D) plate boundaries move at regular rates so the interactions across plate boundaries are predictable and regular B) stress continues to build up all the time and when it is great enough to overcome friction there will be an earthquake and then the process will start over again The March 27, 1964, earthquake was accomp anied by crustal deformation-including warping, horizontal distortion, and faulting-over probably more than 110,000 square miles of land and sea bottom in south-central Alaska. Award Winning Earth Science Materials at our Bookstore. Two types of tsunami were produced as a result of this massive quake. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America. Most of the people were home and schools were closed for the day. This earthquake occurred after the world’s largest earthquake occurred in Chile within 1960. 1964 Alaska earthquake is mega thrust earthquake that occurred in the subduction zone that Pacific plate was subducting beneath the North American plate or along the Aleutian fault with length of 3400 kilometers. Earth scientists now recognize that the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake resulted from plate convergence: where the Pacific megathrust fault during the 1964 earthquake Plate is being overridden by the North American Plate, it descends, or subducts, into the Earth’s mantle along the Aleutian Trench. Look at the arrows on the map. The distance from the Prince William Sound to Anchorage is 101 miles. The area is now Earthquake Park. Look at the arrows on the map. The land around the town of Portage subsided approximately 3 meters (9 feet). Geology and the Environment (1)-merged.pdf, Coastline Community College • GEOLOGY 105. The 1964 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska occurred as a result of an oceanic plate sinking under a continental or land plate. occurring at this plate boundary (slip, collision, spreading, or subduction): 3. The land around the town of Portage subsided approximately 3 meters (9 feet). Name of the orange marker: 1964 Alaska Earthquake 1. The US state was hit by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in March 1964, the strongest ever recorded in North America. Tsunami damage in SewardIn Seward, a section of the waterfront slid into Resurrection Bay causing an oil fire as it was floating offshore. Many houses, buildings and infrastructures were damaged or destroyed. At magnitude 9.2, it was the second largest quake ever recorded by seismometers. The Kids Fun Science Bookstore covers a wide range of earth science topics. The Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964 happened on Good Friday, March 27th, at 5:36 p.m. Atlantic Daylight Time. The Alaska- Aleutian subduction zone, at the plate boundary, is responsible for most of the earthquake activity in south-central Alaska—including the 1964 Earthquake. At this boundary, the Pacific Plate slides beneath the North American Plate, causing the majority of Alaska’s earthquakes, including the 1964 earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was 6 miles east of the mouth of College Fiord, approximately 55 miles west of Valdez and 74 miles east of Anchorage. The marker represents events on a plate boundary. the website about where these events are taking place. The wave in the inlet that reached a height of 200 feet (67 meters). The easternmost megathrust earthquake was the March 28, 1964 M9.2 Prince William Sound earthquake, currently the second largest recorded earthquake in the world. Check out Myrna Martin's award winning textbooks, e-books, videos and rock sets. State which plate tectonic interaction is occurring at this plate boundary (slip, collision, spreading, or subduction): Subductio n divergent 3. . A large landslide triggered a tsunami in Shoup Bay near Valdez. Produced by Creative Arts Studio in 1964 for the USGS. Alaska is part of the seismically active 'Pacific Ring of Fire'. Two hundred acres of land slid into the ocean at Turnagain Heights. Click here to browse.Â. The 1964 earthquake was caused by the same processes that cause the majority of earthquakes in that area. The Alaskan Earthquake 1964 An examination of the 1964 Alaska Good Friday Earthquake from a (pre- plate tectonics theory) geological point of view. Only 9 people died from the earthquake, but 130 died from the subsequent tsunami; 10 as far away as Crescent City, CA. Strong, destructive earthquakes can accompany a rapid, several-meter uplift of bedrock along subduction zones. 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