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1964 Alaska earthquake facts for kids

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1964 Alaska earthquake
AlaskaQuake-FourthAve.jpg
Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, looking east from near Barrow Street. The southern edge of one of several landslides in Anchorage, this one covered an area of over a dozen blocks, including five blocks along the north side of Fourth Avenue. Most of the area was razed and made an urban renewal district.
Good Friday Earthquake 1964 03 28 loc.jpg
UTC time 1964-03-28 03:36
ISC event 869809
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local date March 27, 1964 (1964-03-27)
Local time 17:36:16 AKST
Duration 4–5 minutes.
Magnitude 9.2 Mw, 6.7 mb  (ISC)
Depth 25 kilometers (16 mi)
Epicenter 60°54′29″N 147°20′20″W / 60.908°N 147.339°W / 60.908; -147.339
Type Megathrust
Areas affected United States, Canada
Total damage $311 million (1964 USD)
Max. intensity XI (Extreme)
Peak acceleration 0.18 g
Tsunami Major. Run-up of 67 m (220 ft) at Shoup Bay, Alaska.
Casualties 131 killed

The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, happened at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. Across south-central Alaska (mainly in Anchorage), ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis were caused by the earthquake. It caused about 131 deaths.

The earthquake lasted four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. It was a magnitude 9.2 earthquake. It remains the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history, and the second most powerful earthquake recorded in world history.

Nearby, a 27-foot (8.2 m) tsunami destroyed the village of Chenega, killing 23 of the 68 people who lived there. Post-quake tsunamis severely affected Whittier, Seward, Kodiak, and other Alaskan communities, as well as people and property in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.

Tsunamis also caused damage in Hawaii and Japan. Evidence of motion directly related to the earthquake was also reported from Florida and Texas.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Terremoto de Alaska de 1964 para niños

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