The Alaska Earthquake of 1964 (MP3)

Blue Ervin - Alaska Earthquake  (MP3) 

Today marks the 44th anniversary of the devastating Alaska earthquake, the largest ever recorded in North America.  On March 27, 1964 the quake, sometimes known as the Good Friday Earthquake,  pulverized Prince William Sound and the surrounding areas.  The event lasted approximately 4 minutes and had a moment magnitude of 9.2 Mw, which translates to 8.4 on the Richter scale.  Life magazine reported that the earthquake unleashed "more than 2,000 times the power of the mightiest nuclear bomb ever detonated."

Though the most heavily damaged Alaska city was probably Anchorage, located about 75 miles north of the earthquake's epicenter, a number of other cities and towns were badly damaged.  In addition, the earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that struck the shores of Canada, Washington, Oregon and California.  In fact, the tsunami caused deaths as far away as Crescent City, California where 11 people were killed after a 21 foot wave swept into the town's harbor.

The US Geological Survey has an extensive online collection of photographs of the damage done in Alaska. The Alaska Digital Archives also features an extensive array of photos and short film clips of the earthquake's aftermath.

If you have any interest in songs based on real life tragedies, a couple more can be found here.

Comments

[Molly]

yo!! this is sooo kool!!!

[virgil]

Thanks so much! I'm going to play this on KSDP-830am the next time I'm on the air.

[Craig Alleman]

MANY MANY THANKS for the song "Alaska Earthquake" by Blue Ervin.
I have hunted for this song for 40 years. I loaned my 45 rpm copy of this song to a friend who moved away and I never found another copy. I am a veteran of the March 27th, 1964 earthquake and was at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska that day. I made me a copy of this song and also put it in my PC music library.
So very grateful. Thank you so very much !!!
Craig Alleman
Knoxville TN

[Nishantha]

I am also tsunami victim. I feel that how we mentally down after such an incident. This show how we act when such an incident happens.
..............
Nishantha
Addiction Recovery Alaska

[Geetha]

This is a great content. This will help more people who face such an incident.
.........
Nishantha
Social Media Marketing

[samflutch]

Earthquakes in Alaska are caused as the Pacific tectonic plate slides beneath the North American plate. A chain of volcanos spanning the tip of the Aleutian Island arc to southeast Alaska are the result of the same inexorable plate movement.
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samflutch

Alaska Drug Treatment

[cindi]

any tsunami survivors - we want to hear your story. please contact the Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska. thanks