Mountain Ridges in
Skagway - Alaska
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Index
Past
earthquake created fault lines in mountain ridges. The last earthquake
in Alaska is as recent as 27th March 1964, the 2nd largest earthquake
ever recorded in North America.
Water stream is fed by melting glacier ice on mountain top.
Alaskan Earthquake of 1964:
Date: 27th March 1964.
Magnitude: 2nd largest in North America ever recorded with 8.3 to 8.6
onthe Richter Scale. Damage as far south as Oregon & California. It
released an amount of energy equal to 10 times the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.
Epicenter: Prince William Sound and College Fjord.
Anchorage was the largest town affected. It had damage due to glacial
settling and two landslides. The Glacial settling occurred when a peak
on the Chugach Mountain next to Sherman Glacier shattered. A five hundred-foot
section of the mountain sheared away and fell covering the glacier with
debris. The landslides were located in Anchorage. One caused land to slide
into a shipping creek. The other caused land to slide into salt water.
Damage included a school, which slid, a water tower fell, and a housing
complex was cut horizontally. Many transportation routes were ruined as
the road from Anchorage to Portage fell six feet, towers at airport fell,
section of bridges broke and rocks dropped on many roads. Anchorage shifted
six feet.
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