Hydrologic effects of the earthquake of March 27, 1964, outside Alaska, with sections on Hydroseismograms from the Nunn-Bush Shoe Co. well, Wisconsin, and Alaska earthquake effects on ground water in Iowa: Chapter C in The Alaska earthquakes, March 27, 1964: effects on hydrologic regimen
Professional Paper
544-C
This report is Chapter C in The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: effects on hydrologic regimen. For more information, see: Professional Paper 544.
By: Robert C. Vorhis, Elmer E. Rexin, and R. W. Coble
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Abstract
The Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964, had widespread hydrologic effects throughout practically all of the United States. More than 1,450 water-level recorders, scattered throughout all the 50 States except Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island, registered the earthquake. Half of the water-level records were obtained from ground-water observation wells and half at surface-water gaging stations. The earthquake is also known to have registered on water-level recorders on wells in Canada, England, Denmark, Belgium, Egypt, Israel, Libya, Philippine Islands, South-West Africa, South Africa, and Northern Territory of Australia. The Alaska earthquake is the first for which widespread surface-water effects are known. The effects were recorded at stations on flowing streams, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and ponds. The 755 surface-water stations recording effects are spread through 38 States, but are most numerous in the south-central and southeastern States, especially in Florida and Louisiana. Most of the fluctuations recorded can be referred to more precisely as seismic seiches; however, a few stations recorded the quake as a minor change in stage. The largest recorded seiche outside Alaska was 1.83 feet on a reservoir in Michigan. The next largest was 1.45 feet on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. The largest fluctuation in a well was 23 feet registered by a pressure recorder near Belle Fourche, S. Dak. Fluctuations of more than 10 feet were reported from wells in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. A 3.40-foot fluctuation was recorded in a well in Puerto Rico. The Alaska earthquake was registered by about seven times as many water-level recorders as recorded the Hebgen Lake, Mont., earthquake of August 19, 1959.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Hydrologic effects of the earthquake of March 27, 1964, outside Alaska, with sections on Hydroseismograms from the Nunn-Bush Shoe Co. well, Wisconsin, and Alaska earthquake effects on ground water in Iowa: Chapter C in The Alaska earthquakes, March 27, 1964: effects on hydrologic regimen |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 544 |
| Chapter | C |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp544C |
| Year Published | 1967 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Government Printing Office |
| Publisher location | Washington, DC |
| Contributing office(s) | Menlo ParkCalif. Office-Earthquake Science Center |
| Description | p. C1-C54 |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Larger Work Title | The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: effects on the hydrologic regimen (Professional Paper 544) |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |