Effects of the earthquake of March 27, 1964, at Whittier, Alaska
Links
- More information: USGS Index Page (html)
- Document: Report (pdf)
- Plates:
- Larger Work: This publication is Chapter B of The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: Effects on communities
- NGMDB Index Page: National Geologic Map Database Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Whittier, Alaska, lying at the western end of Passage Canal, is an ocean terminal of The Alaska Railroad. The earthquake that shook south-central Alaska at 5:36 p.m. (Alaska Standard Time) on March 27, 1964, took the lives of 13 persons and caused more than $5 million worth of damage to Government and private property at Whittier.
Seismic motion lasted only 2½-3 minutes, but when it stopped the Whittier waterfront was in shambles land the port facilities were inoperable. Damage was caused by (1) a 5.3-foot subsidence of the landmass, sufficient to put some of the developed land under water during high tides, (2) seismic shock, (3) fracturing of fill and unconsolidated sediments, (4) compaction of fill and unconsolidated deposits, (5) submarine landslides which generated waves that destroyed part of The Alaska Railroad roadbed and other property, (6) at least two, but probably three, waves generated by landslides, which completely wrecked the buildings of two lumber companies, the stub pier, the small-boat harbor, the car-barge slip dock, and several homes, and (7) fire that destroyed the fuel-storage tanks at the Whittier waterfront.
Many buildings and other facilities were totally wrecked, others were damaged to lesser degrees. For example, the 14-story reinforced concrete Hodge Building, which rests upon at least 44 feet of sandy gravel, was moderately damaged by seismic shock, but the six-story reinforced-concrete Buckner Building, which rests upon bedrock, was only slightly damaged.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Effects of the earthquake of March 27, 1964, at Whittier, Alaska |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 542 |
| Chapter | B |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp542B |
| Year Published | 1965 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Government Printing Office |
| Publisher location | Washington, DC |
| Contributing office(s) | Menlo ParkCalif. Office-Earthquake Science Center |
| Description | Report: vi, 21 p.; 3 Plates: 40 x 20.5 inches or smaller |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Larger Work Title | The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: Effects on communities (Professional Paper 542) |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| City | Whittier |
| Datum | Preearthquake Mean Sea Level |
| Scale | 4800 |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |