Transcript Good Friday Earthquake Katie Puthoff and Gwen Harpring

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.
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.
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.
More effects…
• 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.
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.
Some of the damage…
Affected Areas
• The ground rose and
fell in waves and huge
cracks opened and
snapped shut in the
ground.
Uprooted trees and houses…
More damage…
Resources
• http://www.greatlandofalaska.com/referenc
e/GoodFridayQuake.html
• http://www.valdezalaska.org/
history/earthquake.html
• http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/
historic/c&gs/theb1340.htm