Of March 27,1964 on Various Lommunities

Home , Cook Inlet, George Plafker, Turnagain Arm

THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964: EFFECTS ON COMMUNITIES

Effects of the Earthquake of March 27,1964 on Various Lommunities

By GEORGE PLAFKER, REUBEN KACHADOORIAN, EDWIN B. ECKEL, and LAWRENCE R. MAY0

A description of the damage, principally from waves, vertical tectonic movements, and seismic vibration, to inhabited places throughout the earthquake-aflected part of Alaska

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 542-G UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WALTER J. HICKEL, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1969

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE SERIES

The U.S. Geological Survey is publishing the re- sults of investigations of the Alaska earthquake of March 27,1964, in a series of six Professional Papers. Professional Paper 542 ddbesthe effects of the earthquake on communities. Reports on Anchorage, Whithiex-, Valdez, Homer, Sward, and Kodiak have already been published. This report is the final chapter of Professional Paper 542. Other Professional Papers describe the history of the field investigakion and mnstruction efforts; the regional effects of khe earthquake ; the effects on 'the hydrologic regimen; and ths effects on trwsporta- tion, communications, and utilities. The final volume on lessons learned and conclusions drawn is in prepa- ration; it will include an index for the entire series. A selected bibliography and an index for the entire series will be published in the concluding volume, Profesional Paper 546.

CONTENTS

Page Page Abstract ------G1 Effects on communities-Con. Effects on communities-Con. Introduction------2 Prince William Sound-Con. Kenai Peninsula-Con. Acknowledgments------3 Latouche and vicinity------Rocky Bay--_------_- Earthquake questionnaire- - - - 3 Perry Island ------_ Seldovia-_------Categories of earthquake-related Point Nowell -_------Whidbey Bay.------damage------Port Nellie Juan- _ ------Communities of western Cook Seismic vibrations------Port Oceanic-_------Inlet and the Alaska Direct vibratory damage- - - Sawmill Bay and vicinity--- Peninsula ------Fissured ground--- - - _ - - - - - Tatitlek and vicinity ------King Salmon and South Cracked ice------Communities of the coastal belt Naknek--..------Landslides and avalanches _ _ east of Prince William Tyonek and the west coast Vertical tectonic displace- Sound------of Cook Inlet ------_-- ments------Cape Saint Elias- - - _-_---_ Inland communities- - - - _ -- - - Waves and related subaqueous Middleton Island -_-_- -- __- Fairbanks ------slides - - _ ------Yakataga--__------_---_ Palmer and the Matanuska Local waves and subaqueous Yakutat_------Valley - - _ ------_ _ _ - slides - _ ------Kenai Peninsula communities- Sutton------Seismic sea waves- ..------Cooper Landing ------_ Summary and conclusions - - _ - _ - Effects on communities- _ ------English Bay------__-__-_ Geologic control of vibratory Prince William Sound com- Girdwood- - - _ - - - _ ------damage distribution- - - - - munities ------Hope-----_------Vertical tectonic displacements Anderson Bay and vicinity- Kenai and vicinity ..----_ - _ and seismic sea waves--_- Chenega------Port Graham ------_-_--__ Local waves and subaqueous Cordova and vicinity ------Portage---__._-__------slides ------_ ------Hinchinbrook Light Station- Puget Bay __-____-_-- References cited ------_-_--_-_

ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATES

[Plates are in pocket]

1. Map of Alaska, showing distribution of earthquake effects. 2. Map of Prince William Sound, showing distribution of waves and of known or inferred subaqueous slides.

FIGURES

Pnsc Page 1. Map showing distribution and intensity of wave 8-10. Photographs: damage in the western part of Port 1-aldcz. -__ G12 8. Cordova waterfront ______------2-6. Photographs of wave damage: 9. Ground crack at FAA airport station, Cordova------2-4. Near Shoup Bay --__----_---._-_-----13, 14 10. Wave damage, Cordova------$6. At Chenega ...... 13, 16 11. Geologic map of Capo Hinchinbrook Light Station 7. Map showing distribution nnd intensity of wave area------_-_------.------damage at Chenega---_--_----_------17 12. Map showing distribution and intensity of wave damage at Latouche and vicinity __------VI CONTENTS

Page Page 13-16. Photographs of wave damage: 20-24. Photographs-Continued 13. AtLatouche------22. Fissured and slumped fluvioglacial de- 14. At Port Nellie Juan------posits along Bering Glacier------G32 15. At head of Kings Bay--_-..------23. Rockfall debris from Pinnacle Rock at 16. To a barge near Port Nellie Juan------Cape Saint Elias------33 17. Map showing distribution and intensity of wave 24. Fissured road on elevated beach ridge damage at Port Oceanic and vicinity ------west of Yakataga ------_----- 34 18. Photograph of wave damage at Port Oceanic-- 25-27. Photographs: 19. Map showing distribution and intensity of wave 25,26. Collapsed water tower, Wildwood damage at Sawmill Bay ...... Station...... 38, 39 20-24. Photographa: 27. Collapsed catwalk, Nikiski __--___----- 39 20. Fissured sand dune on Copper River 28. Map of Portage area ...... 40 Delta------_------29. Photograph of Portage area.. - - _------_- 41 21. Fissured tidal flats and sand ejecta along 30. Photograph of Seldovia waterfront __------43 shore of Controller Bay ------

TABLES

Page 1. Communities treated in other reports------_------__-- _ _---___--_--- G2 2. Communities treated in this report------,------__--_---- -___----- 3 THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27,1964: EFFECTS .ON COMMUNITIES

EFFECTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE OF MARCH 27,1964 ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES

By George Plafker, Reuben Kachadoorian, Edwin B. Eckel, and Lawrence R. Mayo

ABSTRACT

The 1964 earthquake caused wide- shores of Anderson Bay and adjacent of unconsolidated drl~osits. required spread damage to inhabited places parts of western Port Valdez probably either the relocation or raising of struc- throughout more than 60,000 square were generated primarily by inassive tures at Portage, Girdwood, and Hope miles of south-central Alaska. This re- submarine slides of glacial and fluvio- on Turnagain Arm. Shoreline sub- port describes damage to all communi- glacial deposits ; the origin of the waves mergence resulting from about 3% feet ties in the area except Anchorage, Whit- that caused damage at most of the other of tectonic subsidence at Seldovia tier, Homer, Valdez, Seward, the com- communities and at extensive unin- iiecessitated raising all waterfront fa- munities of the Kodiak group of islands, habited segments of shoreline is not cilities and the airstrip above the lerel and communities in the Copper River known. At these places the mcwt prob- of high tides. On the other hand, tec- Basin ; these were discussed in previous able generative mechanisms are: un- tonic uplift of the land in the Prince chapters of the Geological Survey's identified submarine slides of urn- Williaili Sound region required deepen- series of reports on the earthquake. At ing of the small-boat harbors at Cordora solidated deposits, and (or) the hori- * the communities discussed herein, zo&l tectonic displacements, of a0 to and Tatitlek, dredging of the waterways damage resulted primarily from sea more than 60 feet, that wawred in the in the Cordova area, and lengthening of waves of diverse origins, displacements Prince William Sound region during some docks or piers at Cordova, the of the land relative to sea level, and the earthquake. Cape Hinchinbrook Light Station, and seismic shaking. Waves took all of the A train of long-period seismic sea in Sawmill Bay. 31 lives lost at those communities; waves that began about 20 minutes Significant structuwl damage from physical damage was primarily from after the start of the earthquake indirect seismic shaking was largely con- the waves and vertical displacements of undated shores along the Gulf of Alaska fined to fluid containem and ;a pier the land relative to sea level. coast to a maximum height of 35 feet facility near Kenai. Indirect damage Destructive waves of local origin above tide lerei. At the communities from fissuring and differential settling struck during or immediately after the described, they virtually destroyed two of foundation mterials in the vicinity ea~thquakethroughout much of Prince logging camps at \IThidbey Bay and of the Cordova aiffield mused damage William Sound, the southern Kenai Puget Bay on the south coast of the to a building, underground utilities, an Peninsula, and the shores of Kenai Kenai Peninsula, caused moderate aiffield fill, and the highway. Minor Uke. In Prince William Sound, waves damage to boat harbors and docks at amountrs of direct and indirect damsage demolished all but one home at the Seldovia and Cordova, floated away from seismic vibrations were sustained native village of Chenega, destroyed some beach cabins in the Cordova area. by most of the communities isituated 011 homesites at Point Nowell and Ander- and drowned two people, one at Point unconsolidated deposits as far east as son Bay, and caused varying amounts Whitshed near Cordora and one at the Yakutat, north to Fairbanks, and west of damage to waiterfront facilities at Cape Saint Elias Light Station. The to King Salmon. Except for a few kwrnill Bay, Latouche, Port Oceanic, seismic. sea wares \\-ere generated 1,$ cracked or toppled chimney,^, all the Port Nellie Juan, Perry Island, and regional tecbtonic uplift of the sea floor damage from shaking was confined to western Port Valdez. The local waves, on the Continental Shelf. areas of thick, unconsolidated deposits. which ran up as high as 70 feet above Vertical tectonic displacements d Foundation damage was almost entirely tide level at Chenega and more than 170 the land relative to sea level that ac- restricted to water-saturated unconsoli- feet in several uninhabited parts of the companied the earthquake affected vir- dated deposits which, when liquefied by Sound, took nearly all of the lives lost tually all the coastal communities. seismic shaking, could 'spread laterally by drowning at these communities. Tectonic subsidence of .ito 6 feet, aug- toward free faces and (or) settle dif- Destructive local waves that devastated mented locally by surficial subsideilce ferentially through compaction. ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 2'7, 19164 INTRODUCTION

The great earthquake of March some of the smaller communities, was reportedly felt but wllere it 2'1, 1964, took 114 lives and did are covered in other reports in this did no damage are shown in plate more than $300 million damage to series (table 1). 1, but they are not described here. private and public property. Al- This report completes the U.S. This report is based primarily though a significant part of the Geological Survey series of de- on personal observations of Kach- damage was to interurban trans- scriptions of earthquake effects on admrian, Plafker, and Maya, one po~tatiion and communications communities. Damage at all pre- or all of whom visited each of the systems ( Grantz, Plafker, and viously undescribed Alaskan com- communities as a part of their Kachdoorian, 1964; Eckd, 1967), munit.ies where there was loss of general studies of geologic effects of the earthquake throughout by far the greater prt of life and life or physical damage beyond south-central Alaska during the ,property losses occurred in cities, such minor effects as cracked plas- field seasons of 1964 aild 1965. ter, disloged building contents, or towns, and villages. Nearly dlthe Their information, supplemented inhabited places that were affected mnddied wells is described herein. by that from other sources, was are in south-central Alaska, in a The communities and the nature largely assembled by Eckel while relatively small part of the State of their damage are listed in table the first two authors were busy on but some (not discussed here) are 2; their locations are shown on other assignments. All four au- as far away 'as nortl~ern Cali- plates 1 and 2. The scores of 'addi- thors share responsibility for the fornia. All the larger cities that t,ional inhabited places in Al'aska facts presented and for their were extensively damaged, and and Canada here the earthquake interpretation.

TABLE1.-Alaskan communities damaged by the earthquake of March 87, 1964, treated in other U.S. Geological Survey reports

Principal causes of damage (1, primary; 2, Location 1 secondary;3, much damage also from waterfront I Il fires) Popula- Deaths Place tion 1980 Landslides Descriptions Latitude, Longitude, Sub- Vibra- Y. 1. sidence Fire tion Waves Land I Sub- marme

Afognak ...... 1 541, s. 96, 542-F, p. 28-32; 543-D, p. 30-39. Anchorage...... 9 ...... -...... 1 ...... 541, p. 73,83-&5,10(t103' 542-A p. 1-68; 544-B, p. 1-18; 545-B, p. 3-4: 8-9, 16-24. Chugiak ...... 6l023'50" 149°28'40" 0 ...... 1 ...... 544-A, p. 19. E le River...... 61°19'20" 149W'OO" 0 ...... I ...... 541, p. 19. ~8utnapowerplant...... 61°28' 14g0!22' 0 ...... 1 ...... 546-1, p. 1-24. Glannallen...... 6Z007' 14933' 0 ...... 1 ...... 543-E, p. 25. Gulkana ...... 62"16' 145~23' 0 ...... 1 ...... 543-E, p. 25. Homer ...... 59'38'40' 151°33'00" 0 1 ...... 2 2 ...... 541, p. 80 88 91; 542-D, p. 1-28; 544-A, p. 21; 546-B, 6. ii. Kadiak Fisheries Cannery.-. 0 2 1 543-D p. 13 15-19 43. Kaguyak ...... 1 542-~,'~.37b; M-D, p. 30-39. Kodiak ...... 1 541, p. 92-94; 542-F, p. 1-28; 543-D, p. 30-39; Larsen Bay...... Lawing .:...... Lee's ulde Service...... McCord ...... Old Harbor ...... 1 ' 64%~:542-F p. 33-3434-37 543-D54%~: p. 3&39.3&39. Ouzinkie ...... 1 Moose pass...... 1 ...... 1 545-D (in press) Seward...... 13 ...... 1 3 1 ...... 1 1 541, p.' 73-79,85, 90;542-E, p. 1-43; 544-A, p. 1 / 1 24-26; 545-B, p. 6,12, 25. Sheep Mountain Inn...... 0 ...... 1 ...... 543-Ep.25. Tazliia Glacier Lodge-...... 62'04' 0 ...... 1 ...... 1 ...... 643-~'~.25. Tonsina Lodge ...... 0 ...... 1 ...... ;543-~:~.25. Tsina hdge...... 0 ...... --' ll1 ...... ' 543-E p 25. Valdez ...... 61'07' 311 2 3:::::::: 1 ..... l~541,p~7~,&5-87,M-99;511C.P.14544-*,I p. 26; 546-B, p. 15-17, 25. Whittier...... I3 1 i 3 . 541, .. 80, PP; 5L2-B, p. 1-21; 546-B, .. %. 2 1 j 1 .. 1 82,833 including military personnel. 2 4,788 including pergonneI at Kodiak Naval Station. 8 Includes 7 persons who were on highways on boats, or in isolated places in the Kodiak Islauds. 4 Estimated by authors as of March 27, I9d. EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G3

TABLE2.-~lAkan communities damaged by the earthquake of March 87, 1964, treated in this report [Place names and locations are as given by Orth (1967); some spellmgs diier from that used in other U.S. Geological Survey reports on the earthwake. Locations of places marked with asterisk are shown on plate 1; all others are on plate 2. Except a8 noted, populations are as of 1960 census. Deaths from Alaska Dept. Health and Welfare (1964). Physical damage relative to size and importance of wmmunity]

Location Damages Principal causes of damage (1, primary; 2, sewndary) --- Place Population Physical Landslides damage Latitude Longitude Deaths subsid- Uplift Vibra- Waves N. W. e11se tion Major Minor land 1 Sub- marlne

Anderson Bay and vicinity, Port Valdez...... Cape Hinchinbrook Light Station...... 'Caoe Saint Elias ...... Chenega...... *Chisik Island (see Tyonek)...... Cooper Landing ...... Cordova and vicinity ...... Crab Bay (see Sawmill Bay) ...... Ellamar...... --...... -..--.....---...... 'English Bay ...... *Fairbanks- ...... -Girdwood...... Hope...... *Kenai and vicinity...... *Kina Salmon and vicinity- ...... Latofiche...... I ...... 'Middleton Island- ...... 'Naknek (see King Salmon) ...... *Niltiski (see Kenai) ...... 'Palmer and vicinity- ...... Perry Island ...... Point Nowell ...... Point Whitshed (see Cordova) ...... ~ortage...... Port Ashton (see Sawmill Bay) ...... 'Port Graham ...... Port Nellie Juan...... Port Oeeanic...... Puaet- Bay- ...... I Rocky Bay ...... San Juan Cannery (see Sawmill Bay) ...... I...... Sawmill Bay and vicinity ...... I 1x...... 2 2 1 'Seldovia-...... 0 X...... 1 ...... 'South Naknek (see King Salmon) ...... Sutton-...... 0 ..... x ...... 1...... 'I'atltl0K- ...... 0 ...... x ...... 1...... 2 ...... *Tyonek and southwest shore Cook Inlet...... ; ...... x ...... I ...... Whidbey Bay ...... I x ...... 2 1 *Yakataga...... 0 ...... 'Yakutat ...... I 0 ...... x ...... 1 ......

1 Estimated by authors, as of March 27,1964. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS formation as possible on the p- leads to further information that logical effects of the earthquake, mas gathered by correspondence We are greatly indebted to Earl Brabb prepared and distrib- or by followup interviews. These numerous individuals who pro- uted a questionnaire designed to responses increased the amount of vided us with eyewitness accounts elicit such information from as information available far beyond of their experiences during and many eyewitnesses as could be what could have been collected by immediately after the earthquake. reached. Copies were mailed to individual field iilvestigators. Some of these people are men- every postmaster in Alaska, and tioned by name in the descriptions In order to show the kind of many other copies were delivered information thak was sought and of the effect of the earthquake at personally by field geologists in specific communities ; there were to aid future earthquake investi- the course of their investigations ; gators, the questionnaire is re- literally hundreds of others who these men also found the quuestion- produced here. It may seem gave useful information but whose ilaires useful for jotting notes dur- cont~ibutionscould not be specifi- ing their intervie\\-s ~~-itl~local formidable at first glance, but the cally ackao\\-ledged here. people. response to it shows that most Response to the questionnaire people found it easy to ails\\-er; indeed, inally were sufficiently in- EARTHQUAKE was gratifying. About 75 percent QUESTIONNAIRE of the more than 350 copies dis- terested to append long notes or tributed were returned. Of these, letters that provided a wealth of As part of the Geological Sur- virtually all contained useful in: additional details. The text of the 1-ey's effort to gather as much information, and Inany provided questionnaire follows. 312-357 -2 G4 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY m. Offset road ,fence -, house d. Did any ground subside (sink) Alaskan Geology Branch - as much as - feet. -7 If yes, how large an ares was 345 Middlefield Road 4. Effect of earthquake on natural affected -? How much did it Menlo Park, California features: sink? - Is the material in the a. Did any cracks form in ground? area of subsidence mostly rock EARTHQUAKE QUESTIONNAIRE - If yes, how many? - How -, mostly soil -, don't know FOR SUPPLEMENTARY GEO- long after the initial shock of -. 7 LOGIC DATA the main earthquake did they e. Did you see any water spouts Section A-Did you or anyone in your form? - seconds, - minutes, -? If yes, how long after the area feel the earthquake? - - hours, other -, don't know initial shock did they occur -? 1. Nature of ground motion: - Was the spout mostly water -, a. Fast -or slow? Don't know - Average length -, average a mixture of mud and water -, b. Rolling - or jarring? - Don't width -, average depth -; or mostly mud -? How high was know - dimensions of largest crack - the highest one -? How long did c. For how long? long, - wide, - deep; approxi- it last -? Did it form a crater d. If there were different types of mate orientation of most cracks -? If so, how large was the motion during the earthquake, . How far apart were most crater -? If you did not see any estimate the duration and order of the cracks? - Were the water spouts, did you see any of each type cracks in ice -, snow -, mud craters that could have been -, sand -, rock -, other -? caused by water spouts? - e. Did you see waves in the ground? b. Did any low mounds ("mole Where are the craters located? - If so, how many and how far tracks") or pressure ridges form? - apart? - - If yes, how many? - How How large is the largest? - f. What was the main direction of long after the initial shock of the Are they isolated mounds or do ground movement? (circle) N-S, main earthquake did they form? they occur in a line? - NE-SW, E-W, SE-NW Don't -seconds, - minutes, - hours, f. Were any healthy trees broken know - other -, don't know -. Average by the force of the earthquake? g. Motion felt by several in com- length -, average width -; - If so, about how many? - munity -, most -, all -, ob- dimensions of largest ridge - How large - inches in diameter? server -. long, -wide; approximate orien- Did they fall mainly in one 2. Location of observer during earthe- tation of most ridges -. How directions - If yes, which way quake: far apart? - Were the ridges in do most of the crowns point? - a. Indoors - outdoors _ ice -, snow -, muh,sand -, Section B-Water effects b. If indoors, were you lying down rock -, other -? Were the pres- 1. Was your area affected by a -, sitting - or active? - sure ridges along the banks of a tidal wave or by unusually high c. If indoors, does the house or lake -, bay -, river -, stream tides ? If yes, what time building rest on bedrock -, filled -, pond -, other -? did the first wave or tide arrive in ground -, muskeg -, soil -, c. Did any landslides develop? - ? How long was this after don't know - If so, how long after the initial the initial shock ? How 3. Effect of earthquake on objects: shock did they develop? - high was the first wave or tide a. Rattled windows -, doors -, seconds, - minutes, - hours, -feet? Were there more than dishes - other -, don't know -. How one wave or tide ? If so, b. Creaked walls - long did the movement last -? how many ? At what times c. Swayed doors -, lamp - Did the ground move as a unit ? How high ? Did the d. Shook trees and bushes slightly or did it break up in large highest water level rise come -, moderately -, violently - blocks - or small blocks -? during high tide , low tide --? e. Shifted small objects - Was the material in the land- , half way in between slide mostly rock mostly soil From which direction did the f. Overturned small objects -, -, highest water come --? How lamps - -, don't know -? Was the material mainly wet -, dry -, far inland did the water come g. Shifted large, heavy objects - frozen -, don't know -. How ? How high above ocean h. Overturned large, heavy objects large an area was affected by the level did the water come ? i. Cracked plaster -, windows-, largest landslide - feet by - How much damage was done? walls -, chimneys - feet? Location of this landslide: j. Caused to fall: knicknacks -, -- books -, pictures -, plaster -, Were any houses -, roads -, What is the main orientation of walls -, chimney - or other structures - damaged the shoreline affected by the k. Broke dishes -, furniture - by the landslide? Did the slide wave or tide I. Caused damage to house or material fall into a lake -, 9 building: slight-, considerable bay -, river -, other -? If so, 2. Were any of the wells in your -, great -, total -; house or was a wave created? - If so, area affected ? Did the building is log construction -, how high? - Any damage from water get muddy --? Change brick, wood frame -, masonry the wave? - Did the landslide in taste ? Did the water -, concrete - dam any rivers? - level rise --, fall , stay EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES

the same,don't know ? many feet ? How long after 1. Are there any volcanoes in your Any other changes the initial shock of the earth- area ? If yes, has there been ? quake ? Did the water level any increase , or decrease in their activity ? If How long after the earthquake return to normal ? When - -. 7 so, when did this occur was the well affected? -. 7 6. Did tide level change in your ? 3. Did any springs change flow area ? If yes, is tide lower 2. Are there any glaciers in your ? Increase flow ? De- - or higher ? by how area ? If yes, has there been crease flow ? Any new many feet ? When was the any increase - or decrease springs ? change first noticed -. 7 - in their movement? If so, 4. Did any streams increase flow Has the time of high and low when did this occur ? Decrease flow ? How tide changed ? Are they Remarks (anything not covered above or later or earlier ? By any comments you wish to make) long after the earthquake ? - how much ? Was this effect Name of person filling out form - How long before the flow re temporary - or is it still in 7 turned to normal -. effect ? Are measurements Address 5. Did the water level in any lakes on bedrock ? Can you be reached by telephone? - drop ? Rise ? How Section C-Miscellaneous Effects If so, please give number -

CATEGORIES OF EARTHQUAKE-RELATED DAMAGE

Property damage to communi- Lateral or vertical displace- cal displacements of the shore re- ties described in this report re- ments of the surface along earth- lative to sea level. Except at Henai, sulted from a variety of causes quake-related faults can cause structural damage from direct which, for convenience, are enormous damage to buildings, seismic vibrations was minor. The grouped into the following three dams, pipelines, or other struc- distribution of casualties by com- broad categories: (1) seismic vi- tures whose foundations they munity, as well as tlle nature and brations, (2) vertical tectonic dis- cross. This kind of damage, in- extent of damage are summarized placements, and (3) water ~va.ves. deed, is one of the most feared ef- on table 2. In this section, the gen- Seismic vibrartions include both fects of future earthquakes in eral categories and distribution of the direct effeclts of shaking on heavily populated places on or earthquake damage are discussed structures and their indirect ef- near active faults such as the fa- briefly to provide background for fects from foundation failures mous Sail Andreas fault in Cali- the descriptions of damage to in- caused by ground fissuring, slid- fornia. Fortunately, the only sur- dividual communities that follo\v. ing, or differential settlement of face fault breaks that developed the materials on which the struc- as a result of the Alaska earth- SEISMIC VIBRATIONS tures are built. Vertical tectonic quake of March 27, 1964, \\-ere on Vibrations set up by the earth- d;splwmnents include regional up- unillhabited Montague Island and quake, ~vhichhad a Richter mag- lift and subsidence of the land rel- on the sex floor southwest of the nitude variously estimated as 8.3 ative to sea level which, in some island (Plafker, 1967). Had Mon- (revised 1J.S. Coast and Geodetic localities, was augmented by sub- tape Island been inhabited, or Survey) or 8.4 (Pasadena Seismo- sidence of surficial unconsolidated had fault displacements occurrecl graph Station) were recorded in- deposits. Destructive waves in- within any of the larger towns, strumentally throughout the clude (1) local \\-aves that were tlle tdl of death and destruction world, but the places and areas generated during or immediately \\-ould almost. certainly have been where they were felt and reported after the earthquake by subaque- even greater than it was. by humans are limited to Alaska ous slides, horizontal tectonic dis- Of the 31 lires lost at communi- and nearby parts of Canada (111. plmments, or other, unkno\vn ties discussed herein, all \\-ere by 1). 7ITe have no data from the causes, and (2) the train of long- dro\vning--29 in locally generated ('hukotsk Peninsula, on the Rus- period sea waves generated by tec- waves and 2 in seismic sea waves. sian side of Bering Strait, but tonic uplift of the sea floor in the Most of the l~hysicaldamage was seismic shaking quite possibly may Gulf of Alaska. caused by the waves and by verti- have been detectable there also. G6 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964

As shown on plate 1, shaking that they were feeling an earth- movement of unconsolidated ma- was felt over a land area of more quake. Motion sickness was char- terials was widespread. Ground thm a million square miles. ,acteristic of nearly all Alaskan fissures mere observed over an area Among the more distant points station reports that were more of about 100,000 square miles; where movement was noted are (1) than 300 to 350 miles from the they were seen as far north as Fort Gambell, on Gambell Island, 800 epicenter. Yukon, 400 miles north of the epi- miles northwest of the epicenter; center, at Juneau, some 500 miles DIRECT VIBRATORY DAMAGE (2) Wainwright, on the arctic to the southeast, and at Quin- coast, 750 miles north; (3) Watson Even though the earthquake's hagak, more than 500 miles to the Lake, Yukon Territory, 650 miles vibrations were felt by people over west. east; (4) in the general vicinity of nearly all of Alaska and adjacent Except for minor fissuring in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, parts of Canada, seismic motion rock at the heads of some large more khan 800 miles southeast ; and strong enough to damage struc- landslides and in the immediate (5) the US. Weather Station on tures was confined to a relatively vicinity of the earthquake faults Adak Island, about 1,300 miles small area. Such damage occurred on Montague Island, virtually all southwest of the apicenker. at many places within an area of of the fissures that were observed Throughouit Alaska and Canada about 50,000 square miles (pl. I), developed in unconsolidated sedi- the ,predominant reported direc- in an elongate belt that extends ments and soils, particularly where tion of seismic shaking was be- from Glennallen on the northeast the materials were saturated or tween north-south and northwest- to the southwestern part of Kodiak where the water table was close to southeast. Some stations reported Island. Outside this belt, there was the surface. Some fissures on del- changes in direction during the slight vibratory damage at tas, outwash trains, and beach- eahhquake, ,and a few reported Yakutat, 300 miles east of the epi- ridge complexes were extensive; on ~predomimntmotions in east-west center, and in the King Salmon- the Copper River Delta and the and nohheast-southwest direc- Naknek area 375 miles west of the coastal plain east of the delta, for tions. epicenter. example, many fissures as much as The duration of shaking as The most severe shaking and 6 feet wide md a quarter of a mile measured or estimated by hun- nearly all of the related damage to long were formed. dreds of individuals, ranged from communities and major trans- Ejections of fine sand and water 15 seconds to about 8 minutes. portation routes occurred in areas characterized many fissures, par- Where it was timed at localities of thick, saturated unconsolidated ticularly in the Copper River and close to khe epicentral region, it deposits; some of the larger areas Portage areas, on the Kenai Low- most commonly was bahween 3% of such deposits are delineated on land, and elsewhere. Such ejec- and 4% minutes. Anomalously plate 1. In these areas, structural tions occurred mainly on the lower short durations of between 15 sec- damage resulted primarily from parts of deltas, on alluvial flood onds and 1% minutes were re- failure of the ground beneath plains, along the shore of shallow ported from Per1 Island, Rocky buildings-failure such as ground bays, on sand dunes, and on ele- Bay, and Seldovia at the south- cracking, landslides, and differen- vated beach ridges. western tip of ;the Kenai Penin- tial settlement of the natural un- Ground fissures tuld associated sula. In general, observers on or consolidated deposits or of artifi- sand-water spouts resulted in naar bedrock raported notably cial fills. To a far lesser extent, the widespread, but relatively minor, shovter durations and less violent strong ground motion alone caused damage to roads and underground motion than those on thick deposits direct damage to structures in such ntilities in several communities of unconsolidated sediments. areas. In contrast, no vibratory discussed herein and in some of Reports of sensory perception of damage, other than a few broken the larger communities, inost nota- vibration varied from descriptions chimneys and slightly cracked 61y ,~ncllorage,Sew-ard, and Val- walls, \\*as sustained by structures of rolling inotions to sharp jolts; dez. I11 a few places the fissures built on indamted rock aiiyx~-here inost observers on unconsolidated also extended beneath buildings in the region. sedimentary materials reported and cracked and dislocated foun- rolling motions. I11 some outlying FISSURED GROUND dations or walls. On the 1.c-hole, stations, as the one at Nome, ob- Fissured or cracked ground however, ground fissures did far servers reported that they felt caused directly by seismic shaking inore damage to the highway and nauseated before they realized or indir.ectly by vibration-induced railroad systen~sthroughout south- EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES central Alaska than they did to the centration of landslides was in the of the city wrought even more ommunities (Grantz, Plafker, rugged mountains that encircle havoc than did the seismic vibra- and Kachadoorian, 1964; Kach- 'the earthquake's epicenter-par- tions (Hansen, 1965). It should be adoorian, 1968; McCulloch and ticularly in the Kenai Mountains, emphasized that the slides at An- Bonilla, 1968). the Chugach Mountains north of chorage were unique, requiring a Turnagain Arm and near Katalla, special set of geologic conditions CRACKED ICE and the Talkeetna Mountains. that are not, so far as we know, All, or nearly all, of the lakes Most of the slides involved hard duplicated st any other commu- and rivers in Alaska were ice- sedimentary and metamorphic nity in the earthquake-affected covered at the time of the earth- rocks of early Tertiary or pre- part of Alaska. quake; parts of the sea's surface, Tertiary age and, in a fen- in- particularly in the north and along stances, granitic intrusive rocks. VERTICAL TECTONIC the shores of relatively calm in- Near Katalla the landslides were DISPLACEMENTS lets and bays, were also frozen. chiefly in younger Tertiary rocks, Vertical tectonic movements, Within an area of 500,000 square which are less indurated than the bath upward and downward, oc- miles, inland ice and also much older ones but nevertheless are curred over an area of more than sea ice was ex~bnsivelycracked by complexly folded and inbnsely 110,000 square miles in south-cen- the seismic vibrations (pl. 1). faulted. Large subaqueous slides tral Alaska (Plafker, 1969). From the epicentral region, along the fiorded coast of Prince The deformed region, which is cracked ice was observed as far William Sound and the Kenai about 600 miles long and as much north as Wainwright on the Arc- Peninsula and at Kenai Lake as 250 miles wide, lies along the tic coast, at Point Hope (775 miles caused direct damage to Seward, continental margin between long distant), 400 miles east to Crillon Valdez, Whittier, Homer, and a 142" and long 155". It consists of segment of The Alaska Railroad Lake near Lituya Ray, and 430 :I major se:t\vard zone of uplift miles west to the vicinity of Uga- along the shore of Kenai Lake. bordered on the northwest and shik on the Alaska Peninsula. Ice Such slides, however, caused no north by a major zone of subsi- direct damage to the communities on larger lakes and rivers tended dence. These two zones are sepa- to be more readily broken than described herein, although local rated by a line of zero land-level that on smaller ponds and streams. \\-a\-esgenerated by them were in- change that trends northeastward Locally, pressure ridges were direct causes of damage. to intersect the mainland between a formed and blocks of ice piled one Subaerial landslides and, to Sen-ard and Prince William lesser extent, avalanches did much on a,nother as a result of seiche Sound. The line then curves east- waves in waters beneath the ice. damage to transportation and com- ward through Port Nellie Juan to Neither ice cracking nor ice shove munication lines throughout the vicinity of Valdez and crosses caused any noteworthy damage to south-central Alaska. Avalanches the Copper River valley about 50 the communities of south-central were particularly widespread miles above the mouth of the river. along tlie Sm\-ard-,4nchorage Alaska. The zone of subsideiiloe includes Highway, on the Richardson inost of the Kodiak group of is- LANDSLIDES AND AVALANCHES Highway near Thompson Pass, lands, Cook Inlet, the Kenai and in the more rugged parts of Seismic vibrations triggered in- Jfountains, and the Chugach the Talkeetiia and Chugach numerable subaerial landslides Jlountains. The axis of maximum Mountains (Post 1967; Kachado- and avalanches and subaqueous subsidence ~vitliinthis zone trends orian, 1968). However, because slides throughout an area of some roughly northeastward along the most of them took place in remote 100,000 square miles of south- crest of the Iiodiak and Kenai and mlinhabited areas, their central Alaska (pl. 1). The land- JIo1xatains itlid the11 bends east- effects \\-ere of far greater geologic slides included a wide variety of ward in the ('hugach Mountains. falls, slides, and flows involving and geoliiorl)liic thali economic ill- Maximurn recorded do\\-n\~arping bedrock, unconsolidated deposits, terest. Only at hncliorage did sub- is about 71/2 feet on the south coast and silo\\- or ice in varying aerial landslides do more than of tlie Iienni Peniasula. proportions. (The c1:tssification nii~iol-damtlge to ;L community. In the soutlieastern part of the :~ndnomenclature for landslides Tllere, great traiislatory slides in defornled area, uplift averages used herein correspond to those of the residential area of Turnagain about 6 feet over a wide zone in- Varnes, 1958.) The greatest con- Weights ancl in the business heart cluding most of the Prince Wil- G8 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19164 liam Sound region, the mainland also by other mechanisms such as slides which carried away bhe east of the sound, and offshore tectonic movements, seiches, or port facilities of Seward (Lemke, islands as far southwwt as Mid- subaerial landslides. The term "lo- 1967) and Vddez (OoulQr, and dleton Island at the edge of the cal wave" is used to distinguish Migliaccio, 1966), the small-boa& Continental Shelf. Maximum re- these waves from the train of long- harbor at Homer ( Waller, 1966%), corded uplift on land, through period seismic sea waves that first shoreline fmiliities along Kenai combined warping and surface struck the coast of the Gulf of Lake (M&ullmh, 1966), and seg- faulting, was 38 feet at the south- Alaska 19 to 20 minutes after the ments of the railroad and fuel western end of Montague Island. earthquake began.) These local docks at Whittier (Kachadoori'an, Regional vertical tectonic move- waves were later followed by seis- 1965). Numerous other slides are ments seriously affected many nav- mic sea waves that damaged prop- known to have occurred in the igable waterways and harbors, as erty and took additional lives all sparsely inhabited epicentral area well as land transportation routes along the Gulf of Alaska and as of Prince William Sound and the and installations at virtually all far south as northern California. adjacent Kenai Peninsula; un- coastd oommunities. Throughout Extensive damage to uninhabited doubtedly, many others that oc- the zone of uplift, docks and piers coasts, in the form of scoured curd entirely underwater have were raised above w'ater level at shorelines, smashed trees, and dis- gone unrecognized. The dist~ibu- m& stages of tide and required placed driftwood and shoreline tion of the larger known and in- lengthening in order to reach deep deposits, clearly indicartes thak ferred subaqueous slides is shown water. Boat har'bors and channels damage would have been far more on plate 2. had to be dredged in some looali- severe had the mast been more Violent local waves generated ties bo restore their pre-eanthquake heavily populated or had the by sulbaqueous slides caused ma- water depths. Many homes along earthquake occurred at a high, jor damage to adjacent shorelines the shore in uplifted arem were rather than low, strage of tide. and loss of life in the cities of Sea- rendered inaccessible by bat ex- Seismic sea waves were also ward, Valdez, and Whittier. How- cept at the highest tides. Even noted at remote localities east of ever, localized waves of unknown more seriously affected were some Prince William Sound on Middle- origin, though not specifically shoreline installations in area of ton Island, at &heCape Saint Elias identifiable with submarine slides, tectonic subsidence. Many roads, Light Station on Kayak Lsland, were responsible for most of the railroads, mnneries, and homes in and by the fishing boat Rodd that shoreline damage in these same such areas had to be raised to pro- was anchored on the east side of general areas, including many of tect them from inundation during Wingham Island. The Roald was the Prince William Sound am- high tides. Ednsive stretches of buffeted by swift and erratic cur- munities described herein. The beach thalt had been used for caittle rents and rapid fluctuations in local waves, and cambinations of grazing, storage of sawn logs, or water level that began ap,proxi- local waves and subaqueous slides, other puqmses, were also partially mately half an hour after the caused ,most of the earthquake- or entirely obliterated by drown- ea1.7thquake. The current at Wing- related fatalities in Alaska (tables ing olf the shore lines. ham Island was descriabed by the 1 and 2). captain, Joe Clark, as strong PHYSIOGRAPHIC SETTING OF THE WAVES AND RELATED enough to move boulders dong the AFFECTED REGION shore. SUBAQUEOUS SLIDES Prince William Sound and the Sudden violent local waves, that LOCAL WAVES AND SUBAQUEOUS Kenai Pe~linsulato the west are struck during or immediately after SLIDES regions of high rugged mouiltains the earthquake, were the major The intense and proloaged which are indented by long, nar- cause of property damage and cas- ground shaking during the earth- row glacier-scoured fiords that ualties. (As used in this report, quake triggered many subaquw~~s make good natural harbors. The "local wave" refers to water waves, slides along the seacoast (subma- rocky shores of many of these generated either along the coast or rine "landslides") and lake shores fiords drop off precipitously to in lakes during the earthquake, ( sublacustrine "landslides") of deptl~sof 600 to 2,000 feet. Sub- that affected areas of limited ex- south-central Alaska. A substan- aerial and subaquwus bedrock tent. The waves were originated at tial part of the property dalmage slopes commonly exceed 35" and or close to the shoreline in part by resulting from the earthquake is locally may #be nearly vertical. snbaqueous slides, but probably rvttributable directly to subaqueous Similar glacier-scoured valleys EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES and basins on the mainland are show no preferred orientation, al- rated on a scale of increasing dam- occupied by deep lakes, among the though much of the most exten- age from 1to 5, and described and largest of which is Kenai Lake. sive damage tends to occur at the shown on plate 2 and are shown in At places, especially at the heads of embayments on east-west more detail on figures 1, 7, 12, 17, heads of the fiords, streams have or northeast-southwest shores. and 19. built prisms of poorly consoli- One of the most striking charac- In the absence of eyewitnesses, dated alluvial and glacial de- teristics of the damage is its high- the direction of motion for the posits, which provide almost the ly localized and seemingly er- larger waves as shown on plate 2 only large level sites for build- rakic distribution along the shore- could generally be inferred from ings, dock facilities, and railroad lines. An excellent example of the orientation of the damaged yards. Elsewhere, glacial deposits this localization \\-as along the shorelines and from the directions of in'tercalated till and outwash north shore of sheltered Jack Bay in which limbs and trunks of trees form low crescentic bars or shoals near the entrance to Port Valdez and brush mere scarred, bent, or across the fiords that mark the in northeastern Prince William broken. On shores bare of vegeta- end positions of former glaciers. Sound (pl. 2). At that locality tion, only the orientation of the Lateral moraines and kame ter- a 600-foot-long section of shore- affected shoreline and the distribu- races that were deposited along line .was stripped bare of timber tion of displaced driftwood and the sides of the valley glaciers oc- to a maximum elevation of 39 feet beach deposits could be used as di- cur' along the fiords of eastern by a violent surge of wgter; yet rectional indicators. Prince William Sound. Although this small area and a nearby cove The earthquake occurred almost apparently absent at the surface are the only segments along the at a zero tide (mean lower low* along the coast in much of north- north shore of Jack Bay that water). Consequently, effects of ern and western Prince William shon- evidence of wave damage. the localized waves along the coast Sound and eastern Kenai Penin- The extent of ware damage to were visible only where they were sula, such deposits are quite pos- shorelines ranged from the splash- high enough to reach above the ex- sibly present under water in some ing of mud and seashells above treme high-tide line, which is ap- places, because dapremed cirque high-1%-aterline to the stripping of proximately 15 to 20 feet above levels and submerged ancient for- vegetation and soil. The affected lo\%-erlow water along the coasts ests in these areas indicate that region is one of moderate climate of Prince William Sound and the the shorelines of the northern and high rainfall, so a dense forest Kenai Peninsula. part of Prince William Sound of conifers crowds the shoreline TIME AND SEQUENCE OF THE WAVES and much of the Kenai Peninsula except in recently deglaciated An important characteristic of have been drowned since the last areas or places mhere cliffs are too the damaging local wares, where major glaciation (Grant and precipitous for the trees to gain a observed by eye\\~itnesses at 10 Higgins, 1910, p. 17-18; 1913, p. foothold. ,is a consequence, wave widely scattered localities in damage to shorelines \\-as best re- 57; Plafker, 1968, figs. 38-39). Prince William Sound, Resurrec- corclecl by scarred, broken, or ul)- DISTRIBUTION AND NATURE OF LOCAL tion Bay, and Kenai Lake, is that rooted trees and brush. Locally, WAVE DAMAGE single large waves struck during ~nuskeg and soil were stripped Most of the known localized the earthquake or \\-ithill minutes from the bedrock, and seasllells, waves and subaqueous slides were after it ended. Mllcll sinaller waves tlrift\\-ood, and beach deposits as concentrated along the shores of immediately prececlecl or followecl large as boulders were thro\\-n up fiords and bays in noathern and the large \yare, but rtulnp from above the level of the highest western Prince IVilliam Sound, tllesc. waves r:il'tly rose above ex- tides. Bt a few places all trees, at Resurrection and Aialik Bays treme high-tide level. Sondestruc- inclllding some 'L feet in diameter, on the south coast of the Kenai tire sudden water distnrh;tncc~ \wre uprooted or broken to heights Peninsula, and along the shore of \\ere noted by nlulleroiis other ob- 110 feet above tide level, b:irnacle- Kenai Lake (pl. 2). Coastal dam- wrver:, elsc~vhere in these saille c~overeclboulclers 6 feet across \\-ere age generally occurretl along the :ireas ;I:, ~vell as ill the Kocliak shores of steep-~valledfiords and carried lnore than 100 feet above group of islantl>, on the southern islands, but at least some of it was the shoreline, and material froill Kenai Peninsula, and on the main- in shallol~embayments that are nlarine deposits was splashed more land coast and offshore islancls virtually closed off from the sea. than 170 feet above tide level. Rel- east of Prince William Sound. By Shorelines damaged by the waves ative intensities of the damage, the time the initial crest of the G10 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19164 train of seismic sea waves reached waves. The wave was described as ter the earthquake began. The the ouiter coast of the Kenai a cresting breaker at Narrow Cape highest wave at Whidbey Bay Peninsula, 19 to 20 minutes on the exposed southeastern coast was the second one, which fol- after the earthquake bgan, the of Kodiak Island and as a fast- lowed 10 to 12 minutes after the strong water disturbances gener- rising tide in the Kodiak area. At first wave and ran up to an esti- akdby the local waves had largely Narrow Cape the first wave mated elevation of 35 to 40 feet subsided. reached farthest inland, whereas above the normal predicted tide at the city of Kodiak the fourth stage. Within approximately 30 SEISMIC SEA WAVES wave (between 11:16 p.m. and minutes after the start of the 11 :20 p.m.), which almost coin- tremors, the first waves arrived at Most major earthquakes that cided with high tide, was highest, the logging camp at Rocky Bay involve vertiid tectonic displace- cresting at subout 23 feet above near the southwest tip of the ments beneath the sea are followed high-tide level (Plafker and Kenai Peninsula ( pl. 1) and were by seismic sea waves (tsunamis Kachadoorian, 1966 ; Kachadoor- breaking near Seward. In con- or "tidd" Waves) ; bhe earth- ian and Plafker, 1967). In the trast to the initial water motion at quake of March 2'7,1964, generated Kodiak group of islands, the city most nearby localities, the first one of the larger seismic sea-wave of Kodiak, the Kodiak Naval wave at Rocky Bay reportedly trains of modern times. These Base, and several small comuni- was preceded by a withdrawal of waves took 20 lives and caused de- ties in low-lying areas were se- about 18 feet. The highest wave, struction all along the Alaskan verely damaged by khe waves. The which came in on the high tide coast between the southern tip of entire waterfront area of the ciity after midnight, left smash marks Kodiak Island and Kayak Island. of Kocliak mas destroyed and 11 feet above extreme high-tide They were especially destructive many fishing beak-the mainstay level. in areas such as the Kodiak group of the local economy-were lost or of islands and the Kenai Penin- In Resurrection Bay the seis- damaged. sula, which during the earthquake mic sea waves inundatad low- were lowered relative to sea level Along the shores of Shelikof lying areas of Seward, the flats at Strait and Cook Inlet the seismic by tectonic subsidence or by tec- the head of the Ray, and nearby sea waves, which were less than tonic subsidence and compaction 1,owell Point to an estimated 5 feet high, caused rapid tide of unconsolidated deposits. Two height of 25 to 35 feet above lower changes that were accompanied by omualties were caused by these low water. The initial wave de- swift erratic currents. However, wlaves at communities described in stroyed such docks as had not al- this report. In addihion, the sea the waves barely reached above ready been wrecked by the sub- waves, dhich were recorded on the level of highest- tides, which aqueous slide and swept many tide gages t~hroughoutthe Pacific in this area of large tidal range houses and boats from the vicinity Ocean, caused 15 deaths and major exceeds 18 feet as a rule, and they of the small-bod harbor into the damage in British Columbia, caused no property damage. lagoon north of Seward and onto Oregon, and California. The in- Seismic sm waves that struck the the flat& at the head of Resurrec- ferred' source area of the seismic south shore of the Kenai Penin- tion Bay. Estimaites of the height sea wavw, reported [arrival times sula caused heavy property losses of the highest wave, which crested of the initial wave at shore sta- to Seward at the head of Resur- at about 11 :00 p.m. near high tide, tions in the near-source area, and rection Hay and to three isolated nild the amount of withdrawal maximum runup heights are given logging camps along this other- that preceded it, indicated that it by Van Dorn (1964) and Plafker wise uninhabited stretch of coast. inay have had an amplitude of as (1969, fig. 15, table 2). Except for the head of Resurrec- much as 70 feet near Seward The first of a train of at least tion Bay, all these areas experi- (Grantz, Plafker, and Kathadoor- seven large-amplitude seismic sea waves with periods of 55 to 90 min- e~lced train of waves which came ian, 1964; J~mke,1967). utes was reported at Cape Chiniak in as large swells but did not The seismic ses waves \vithin on Kodiak Island at 6 :I0 p.m.-34 break. The first waves reached the l'rince 7TTilliam Sound were de- minutes after the earthquake. It lagging oamps at Whidbey Bay scribed by all observers as fast- was not preceded by a warning and Puget Bay on the southeast rising tides ~vithi~ssociated strong withdrawal of water as so com- coast of the Kenai Peninsula (pl. currents. The first wave, which monly occurs before seismic sea 2) between 19 and 20 iniiiutes af- reaohed Boswell Bay on Hinchin- EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES 011

brook Island at about 6:00 p.m., William Sound, the seismic sea enced at remote localities east of mas about 12 feet high. Through- waves did not resulk in loss of life, Prince William Sound on Mid- out the sound the highest waves alth,ough waves 6 to 10 feet above dleton Island, at the Cape Saint were recorded close to high tide normal tide levels repeatedly in- Elias Light Station on Kayak Is- between midnight and 1:00 !a.m. undated low-lying areas of Val- land, and at Yakataga and Yaku- They inundated shorelines in the dez that had settled differentially tat. One coastguardsman at Cape eastern and northern parts of during the earthquake and also Saint Elias was drowned in the Prince William Sound to a maxi- shorelines in those parts of north- initial waves, but no wave dam- mum of about 17 feet above the western Prince William Sound age was sustained at the light existing tide level and caused that had been significantly low- station or at any of the other re- some damage and one casualty at ered by tectonic subsidence. mote localities where waves were Cordova. Elsewhere in Prince Seismic sea waves were experi- reported.

EFFECTS ON COMMUNITIES

The following section outlines coast of Prince William Sound ill in Prince William ,Sound caused the eanthquake effeds on commu- the earthquake's epicentral region. a regional northward tilting abouit nities at which loss of life or note- Despite proximity to the epicenter, a zero line that extends roughly worthy physical damage occurred structural damage from shaking from Pork Nellie Juan in the and which are not described in mas relatively minor partly be- western (part of lthe sound north- other chapters of this Professional cause of the prevailing wood- eastward a1,most through the Paper. These communities are frame construction and partly be- earthquake epicenter in Unakwik listed and the effects of the earth- cause virtually all communities Inlet and then eastward througli quake at each place are summar- along the rugged fiorded coast are Port Valdez. Shores north of the ized in table 2. The communities founded on bedrock or bedrock line mere submerged as mu& as 7 are grouped into five broad geo- overlain by a relatively thin veneer feet, whereas those south of the graphical areas as follo\rs: (1) of unconsolidated deposits. line emerged as much as 38 feet communities of Prince William Much of the property damage (Plafker, 1969). Regional warp- Sound; (2) communities of the :1nd all loss of life at Valdez and ing mused extensive long-term coastal belt east of Prince William Whittier were related to massive damage lthrough its adverse eff ecits Sound and offshore islands of the vibration-induced submarine land- on coastal in&allations, navigable Oontinental Shelf; (3) Kenai slides and the violent \t7aves they water\vays, and harbors. Docks Peninsula communities (other generated. ,4t other localities, no- and piers throughout the area of than those along the shore of tably at Chenega, local \\-aves of uplift were raised above ~vater Prince William Sound) ; (4) com- unkno~rn origin that appeared level at most stages of tide, and munities of western Cook Inlet suddenly during or immediately reduced 11-ater depths limited the and the Alaska Peninsula; and after the earthquake caused heavy usefulness of certain waterways clamage and casualties. In contrast (5) inland communities, generally and harbors. On the other hand, to the destructire effects of the along the highway and railroad felt* communities in the area of s~~ddeil\raves of local origin, the net north of the coastal mountains subsidence were seriously affected effect of the long-periocl seisnlic by widespread inundation of belt. sen wares that enterecl the souncl I\-aterfront areas. \{-as to cause large quiet fluctua- PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND tioils in tide lercl. Snperiniposi- In addition to the vertical move- COMMUNITIES tion of the wa\.es on high title, inents, llorizontal disl~lacements ronghly B 1iolu.s after tllc cartli- in a relative soutl~easterlydirec- Coin~areclto their size, a dis- quake, rcsnltecl in flooding of some tion occurred. They range from proportionately large aniount of shorelines :lnd nioclernte (laillage about 20 to 64 feet and increase in damage fro111 a 1-ariety of causes in the Corclova area. general fram nontll to south. These \\-as sustainecl by the few small Vertical tectonic displacements displacemeilts resulted in no fishing communities along the that accompanied the earthquake kno\~iidirect damage. Ho~~~ever, 312-357 0--49-3 G12 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19'64

Base from U.S. Geological Survey 1:63,360 Wave damage mapped by Valdez A-7 and A-8. 1960 George Plafker, 1964 EXPLANATION -- - -. -- - Approximate contact

/ Alluvial and fluvioglacial deposits > [L: a z >i Shoreline showing major wave damage, in- I- ferred direction of wave movement Glacial deposits Q (arrow), relative magnitude of dam- 3 age(numera1 at base of arrows), and 0 runup height of waves in feet (numeral on shore). Scale of magnitudes is given in the explanation of plate 2 Tidal mud A UNCONFORMITY Probable major subaqueous slide

X Submarine telegraph-cable breaks dur- i-? )!j ing earthquake of Feb. 14, 1908 E Slate and graywacke undifferentiated W (Tarr and Martin, 1912, pl. 27) [L:

0 1 2 MILES

CONTOUR- INTERVAL 500 FEET DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL BATHYMETRIC CONTOURS AND SPOT DEPTHS IN FEET AS SHOWN

1.-Map sho\ving distribution and intensity of wave damage in Lhe western part of Port Valdez. EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G13 horizontal movement of steepsided basins ,and fiords relative to their contained water bodies, if it occurred fast enough, may have caused many of the unexplained water disturbances that ~accompanied the eanthquake in Prince William Sound a

ANDERSON BAY AND VICINITY Anderson Bay, along the south shore of Port Valdez, was the site of a small fishing camp (fig. 1). Its sole inhabitant, Harry Hender- 2.-Spur west of Shonp Ray in Port Valdez that was overtopped by a local wave son, is missing and presumably trareling from right to left. Trees and branches are broken to an elevation of more was drowned in violent local waves than 100 feet above lower low water. Location shown in figure 1. that struck the shore during or shohly afker the earthquake. The dianleter spruce trees at elsvs~tions loxvup studies (Plafker and Mayo, waves, whioh ran up to as much as high as 101 feet and deposited 1965, fig. 16) clearly indicates that as 78 feet above lower water in the barnacle-covered boulders esti- the highest waves in western Port bay, swept away Henderson's mated to weigh 1,700 pounds 88 Valdez probably originated main- cabin and !appurtenant structures feet above the shoreline (figs. 2, 3, ly at the sites of large submarine at the camp, leaving only the ancl 4). The waves that moved slides of segments of the Sboup driven piling foundations to mark westward out of Port Valdez over- Glacier end moraine that blocks its fonmer location. topped and destroyed the Valdez the mouth of the bay (fig. 1). The All structures at a large aban- Yarrows navigation light situated moraine is a crexentic deposit of doned mine, the Cliff mine, loca,ted on top of a reinforced concrete coarse unconsolidated glacial de- directly across Port Valdez from pedestal 35 feet above lower Ion- bris perched at the lip of a hang- Anderson Bay, were also oblit- v-ater (fig. 1). ing valley ~vhosefloor is more than erated by waves that deposited Brief examinations of the ware .iOO feet above the bottom of Port driftwood 170 feet above lower reeds at two localities in Port TTaldez. The damage distribution, low water and splashed silt and TT:1ldez, s1io1-tly after the earth- submarine soundings, and changes sand up to an elevation of 220 feet. quake, lecl I'lnfker to infer that ill shoreline coilfiguration indicate The abandoned Dayrille cannery the shoreline damage as caused that the largest slides probably at Jackson Point, 5 miles east of I)y a \\-:Lye that entered the port originated near the Cliff mino and ,Inderson Baj, was extensively froin the \vest (Grantz, Plafker, at the west side of Shoup Bay near damaged by waves as much as 31 and Kachadoorian, 1964, p. 12). the points indicated by triangles feet high. Elsewhere along the Detailed examination of the dam- on figure 1. I)OIT-ilslopemovement shore violent waves broke 24-inch- age distribution during the fol- of surh masses triggered by the G14 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 2 7, 19 64 high wave generated by submarine sliding at the head of the fiord 10 miles east of Shoup Bay is difficult to reconcile with the directions and relative heights of waves in western Port Valdez as indicated by the pattern of wave damage along 'the shoreline (fig. 1). Two eyewitnesses to .the event (Delbert and "Red" Ferrier) were in a small boat outside Valdez Narrows. They saw waves coming from the direction of Shoup Bay approximately 5 minutes after the earthquake began and matched the first wave overtop and destroy the Vddez Narrows navigation light. Although the wave dissipated rapidly outside Valdez Narrows, the boat barely rode it o~ltwithout swamping. On their may to Val- dez, at 8 p.m., 21h hours after the

3 (left) .-Living spruce trees 2 feet in diameter that were mapped of? by a local wave at elevations between 88 and 101 feet above lower low water at the locality near Shoup Bay shown in figure 1.

earthquake must have forced a sudden withdrawal of water from the area which they had occupied. Water moving into cthe surface depressions created high-velocity surge waves that first struck the shores immediately adjacent and then spread radially outward with gradually diminishing runup heights (fig. 1). Smaller earthquake-triggered slides elsewhere along the fiord may have contributed to the observed wave damage. A11 alternative suggestion made by Coulter and Migliaccio (1966, p. C14) that wave damage in the n-estern part of Vnldez A1l.ln was somehow caused primarily by 'Lcomponent" of the 20- to 30-foot-

4 (right).-Boulder estimated to weigh 1,700 pounds thrown up 88 feet above the shoreline by a local wave at the place near Shoup Bay shown in figure 1. EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G15

5.-Aerial view of the Chenega village site at the head of Chenega Cove. Lower limits of snow, as shown #by arrows, indicate the approximate limits of wave runnp; the schoolhouse is circled. Photograph taken March 29, 1M4. earthquake, these men saw large strongly suggestive of previous masses of unconsolidated deposits numbers of dead red snappers of submarine sliding in the same gen- along the shore anywhere at or exceptional size floating in the eral area. near Chenega. Most of the 8 or water near Valdez Narrows. The 10 frame houses, the store, and red snappers, which normally in- CHENEGA the church were built on dug piling habit deep water and are ex- Chenega was a native fishing foundations on the slopes around tremely sensitive to rapid pressure village on the southern end of Che- the cove. A wood sea~vallprotected changes, p~obably xere killed nega Island, on Knight Island part of the shore from erosion by when they were forced up off the Passage in 15-estern Prince William normal tides. The reinforced con- bottom by turbulence related to Souncl. All its buildings except one crete school was on slightly higher the inferred submarine slides. house and the school were de- ground at an elevation of about A past history of repeated sub- stroyed by sea waves, and 23 of 70 feet above post-earthquake marine slides in Port Valdez is its 75 inhabitants were lost. The mean lower low water (figs. 5, 6). suggested by breaks of submarine village site was abandoned imme- ,2 narrow rocky beach was below telegraph cables and fish kills dur- diately after the earthquake and the seam-all and served as a play- ing at least five earthquakes in 70 the snrvirors were resettled at Ta- ground for the children. years (Coulter and Jfiglinccio, titlek after several months of care The earthquake shaking, m-hich 1966,p. C9). Breakage of two sub- in Cordova. began gently but became much marine cables during one of these Chenega 1%-asbuilt on bedrock stronger within 1 minute, lasted earthquakes (in 1908) between or thin alluvium over bedrock :in estimated 41/2 to 5 minutes. Un- Shoup Bay and Anderson Bay, at around the head of Chenega Cove. derstandably, there are no reports localities shown on figure 1, is There are no large subaerial of vibration damage. Mike Ele- G16 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 2 7, 19 64

6.-Main part of the Chenega village site. Piling in ground marks the former locations of homes that were swept awax by waves. S.choolhouse on high ground mas undanlagecl.

shansky and Joe Komhff esti- and general direction of wave ure 7, waves comparable in size to mated that between 60 and 90 sec- movement as inferred from dam- those at Chenega struck elsewhere onds after sha.king began the first age distribution are shown on along the coast of the island, par- wave rose quietly but rapidly figure 7. People who were on the ticularly in the cove just east of about half way up the beach. It beach or had not had time to join Chenega. There, mast of lthe mus- receded rapidly almost at once, the exodus to higher ground were keg and all of the trees were exposing the floor of the entire carried away. In addition to all stripped from the surface; blocks cove to an estimated depth of 20 or its other belongings, the village of bedrock were even torn from more fathoms and for a distance lost all but three of its boats. Only n 20-foot seacliff. of abouk 300 yards offshore. A sec- one of the surviving craft was in The cause of the waves at and ond and much higher wave arrived port at the time; the other two ilear Chenega is uncertain al- within 4 minutes of the earth- were out with hunting parties. though their sudden appearance quake's onset and before shaking They mere welcome additions to during tho earthquake clearly in- had ceased. This wave, which wm the rescue effort the next day. The dicates a, local origin. The timing &bout 35 fed high, ran up to the snri-iving villagers spent the night :~ndsequence of waves suggest the schoolhouse foundation, a height huddled in the snowy ~vooclshigh 1>0ssibility that they were caused of 70 feet. All the buildings except abor-e the school, for fear of later by a sizable submarine slide in one house and the school were :tnd even higher waves. These did li~iightIslalid Passage. Moreover, either smashed into the trees or not materialize and the school, as at Aildersoii Bay, great nuin- swept ouk to sea with ithe back- with its nea,l;by powerplant, was bers of large red snappers np- wash. The inunda~ted shoreline, unharmed except for some water pared at the surface of Knight maximum wave runup heights, in the basement. As shown on fig- Island Passage within a few hours EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G17

60°17'

EXPLANATION

(arrow), relative magnitude of damage (numeral at base of arrow), and runup height of waves in feet above water level at time of earthquake (numeral on shore). Scale of magnitudes is given in the explanation of plate 2

1 MILE 11 Ill1tI /

Base from U.S. Geological Survey 1:63,360, Seward 8-3, 1950 Wave damage mapped by L. R. Mayo Bathymetry by L. R. Mayo and D. S. McCulloch, 1964 and George Plafker

7.-Distribution and intensity of ware damage at Chenega and vicinity, Chenega Island. GI8 ALASKA EARTHQUARE, MARCH 2 7, 19164 of the earthquake. These fish may completion of the Copper River shifting or toppling of items in have beell killed by rapid vertical Highway, which was itself sev- homes and stores. In contrast, vio- movements related to landslide- erely damaged by the earthquake lent ground motion at the FAA generated turbidity currents. De- (Kachadoorian, 1968), will even- facility made it difficult or impos- tailed fathometer profiles of the tually tie it to the road net of in- sible to stand or walk 'about in area offshore from Chenega made terior Alaska. some homes, and large and small by Mayo and McCulloch i11 1964 Cordova is on the mainland objects mere shifted or thrown (L. R. Mayo, written comm., along the south side of Orca Inl~~t, dolvn in all homes and other build- 1965) show no significant bottom opposite Hawkins Island (pl. 1). ings. Several people at the airport changes when compared to pre- Most of the city is built on argil- and along the highway saw surface earthquake soundings to indicate lite and grayn-acke bedrock. A ground waves, wit11 crests, esti- that a major submarine slide had number of dm-ellings in "old ton*n" mated at 20 to 30 feat apart, "ex- occurred at a depth of less than on the south side of the city are actly like waves on water." Ice was 100 fathoms. On the contrary, founded on unconsolidated fluvio- cracked on Eyak Lake and one their soundings indicate that at glacial deposits that fill a low di- pressure ridge developed there. least the upper part of the steep vide between the waters of Orca Inilumerable ground fissures oc- submarine slope into Knight Is- Inlet and Eyak Lake, a large body curred throughout the Copper land Passage is probably mainly of fresh water east of Cordova River Delta, but none in the city bedrock without any large poten- (fig. 8). The small-plane airpmt itself. One observer at the FAA tial slide masses in the form of un- for the city is along the shore of station reported that fissures out- consolidated deposits. A possible Eyak Lake; a larger airport and side the control building opened alternative explanation is that Federal Aviation Agency facili- and slapped closed intermittently these waves mere generated by the ties, employing about 40 people, during the earthquake. horizontal tectonic displacement are about 13 miles east of the city, Despite the heavy shaking, there of Chenega Island southward rel- on the edge of a great prism of mas no structural damage in the ative to the water body in Knight unconsolidated sediments that city. Damage at the airport Island Passage. This displace- make up the Copper River Delta mas caused entirely by fissures that ment, which amounted to roughly (pl. 1). A few fishermen's cabins intersected the foundation of the 55 feet (Plafker, 1969, fig. 16), are along the shores of Oma In- FAA control building (fig. 9), could have generated the observed let. An FAA (Federal Aviation taxiways, and underground util- waves if it occurred fast enough. Agency) navigation facility, a ities (Eckel, 1967). All bridges on The fish kill in the Knight Island satellite tracking sfation, and sev- the segment of the Copper River Passage area, however, probably eral homes are at the east end of High~~aybetween the city and the resulted from submarine slides Winchinbrook Island at and near airport that cross unconsolidated whose relationship to the destruc- Roswell Bay. deposits of the delta were de- tive Chenega waves is unknown. Everyone in Cordova and at the stroyed or badly damaged, and the airport felt the violent shaking of roadway itself settled differen- CORDOVA AND VICINITY the earthquake. Estimates of its tially and was cut by fissures duration range from 3 to 5 min- (Kacliadoorian, 1968). The bridge Cordova is now a fishing, can- utes. Most observers agree that the spanning Eyak River which has ning, and distribution center for initial movement was in an east- foundations on bedrock was not much of the Prince William west direction, but a few individ- damaged. Sound region; earlier in its his- uals stated that it was more nearly Reports differ as to the number tory it was the rail-ocean trans- north-south. It was described as a i~iidtiming of the sea \I7a\-esthat shipment point for copper ore rolling motion with occasional strnck Cordova. The first \vatre ob- from the rich Kennecott mining sharp jars. The intensity of the served near Ros\vell Hay \\.as a districlt farther inland. Of all the nlotion apparently was consider- strong surge at about 6 p.ni. (S. I. communitiee affected by the eartli- ably higher at the FAA facility on Starbnclr, oral coil~n~rnl.,.July quake, it stands out as the one the Capper River Delta than in 1064). Alaiiy rapid but gentle rises where tectonic uplift did far niorc tlie city proper. Observers in to\\-11 and \\-ithdran-ah,presumably due damage than seismic vibration and report relatively little difficulty in to 1~ss1geof seisn~icsea waves, waves combined. The city is ac- standing or moving about during at Cordova and vicinity in the cessible only by air or water, but the earthquake and negligible lioul-eiiiiinscliately after the cessa- EFFECTS ON T'ARIOUS COMMUNITIES G19

$.-Cordova, as it appeared in Se1)tember 1'966, with port facilities rebuilt to compensate for the 6-foot tectonic uplift of the shoreline. h~kingsouth, with end of Eyak h1.e and Copp.er River Highway in left center, and Cordora sawmill, destroyed by seismic sea mares, toward upper right. The white angubar patch, lower right, is new land made fro111 material dredged from the deepened ancl enlarged small-boat basin. Photograph by U.S. Army. 312-357 0--69----4

EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES tion of shaking caused no damage. ner, the first wave to arrive was high tides or bake lthe much The highest wave, which almost calm and like a very high tide. longer and more hazardous route coincided with the predioted high This wave ~vasfollowed within through Hinchinbrook Entrance tide of 13 feet, struck the water- several minutes by much higher and through Orca Bay. Because front area at about 12:30 a.m. on and stronger waves that struck neither solution mas economically the 28th. This wave, about 20 feet from opposite sides of the point on practicable, it was necessary for high, flooded the shore to a height which the camp is situated, joined, the Corps of Engineers to dredge of about 34 feet above postea~th- and rushed up the slope behind the a new channel through almost the quake mean lower low waker, or camp. Withdrawal of the com- entire length of Orca Inlet. The about 5 feet dbove the extreme bined wave floated the cabins away total cost of dredging, port facili- high-water level. A11 waves xere (Cordova Times, April 2,1964). ties, and repairs to the town's up- calm, without breakers, but high Tectonic uplift raised the land lifted sewer outfall was about water and swift currents during surface in the vicinity of Cordova $3 million, but part of this cost these and possibly even later waves about 6 feet (Plafker, 1969, pl. 2). was offset by enlargement of the did considerable damage to the This uplift was far more disas- small-boat basin over its preearth- port f acilikies and to moored boats. trous to all port facilities than quake capacity and by develop- The deck of the city dock was were the earthquake vibrations or ment of new in~dustrialland. lifted off its pilings and displaced ; the seismic sea waves. One cannery one cannery was damaged when a at Crystal Falls, on the edge of the HINCHINBROOK LIGHT STATION boat smashed against its piling. Copper River Delta about 5 miles The Hinchinbrook Light Sta- The waves also struck the low area south of Cordova, was abandoned tion, with a crew of six men, is on because boats could no longer the southwest tip of Hinchin- reach it. At Cordova, all dock fa- brook Island in Prince William 9.-One of numerous ground fissures in cilities were raised so high that Sound. It was undamaged by the fluvioglacial outwash deposits at the they could be reached by boats only FAA earthquake, but there were fears, Cordova airport station. Fissures at highest tides. Several nearby such as this one displaced the concrete later shown to be groundless, that canneries had to extend their docks foundation of the station building in the reactivated old landslides would more than 100 feet to permit ac- background and broke underground util: endanger the station. ity lines throughout the facility area. cess. The area in the vicinity of the The earthquake, which lasted city dock and the small-boat basin about 5 minutes, was severe enough 1%-asabove water at most tides; an to snap some live trees, to cause toward Eyalr Lake, where several extensive and difficult dredging the main station building to oscil- small structures were washed away project, together with new break- late, and to displace small objects and a sawmill was destroyed (fig. waters and dock repairs, as neces- from sl~elves.Large movable ob- lo). The city's radio tower, on the sary to make the facilities usable. jects were not shifted, however, tidal flats, swayed violently with In the course of this work, which and there was no structural dam- the shock waves, but remained in- was done by the Corps of Engi- age to any buildings. At least 10 tact until much later when it was neers, the boat basin \\-asmuch en- strong aftershocks, which oc- struck and toppled by a floating larged, and about 20 acres of ne\v curred within the first week after structure. The waves also dam@ land, eventually usable for indus- the eanthquake, contributed sub- the road\\-ay and mashed out a trial purposes, was made from ma- bridge at Hartney Bay on the road stantially to apprehensions of tile terial dredged from the boat basin crew members. between Cordovn and Point Whit- (fig. 8). shed (pl. 1). The topography and geology in Damage to the port facilities the immediate vicinity of the sta- At Point Whitshed, a small fish- was not the only adverse result of tion are shown in figure ll. The ing camp located 8f/z miles south- tectonic uplift. The Cordova fish. main building is on a gently un- west of Cordova at the mouth of ing fleet normally uses Orca Inlet Orca Inlet, 10 cabins were washed dulsllting bench about 150 feet in its travel between to\~-nand the north of a near-vertical seacliff away by waves and one man was shallow fishing grounds off the clro\vned. As reported by Alec Col- that is 180 to 190 feet high near the Copper River Delta. Because up- station but somewhat lower to- lift made the inlet waters tm shal- lVard the \vest. Structures are 10.-Seismic sea wave damage at the low for even smdl boats, laden built on \\-ell-indurated medium- Cordova sawmill along Orca Inlet. vessels had to wait for extremely grained blocky graywacke sand- ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19 64

146"38'40"

11111__ Fracture Dashed where approximately located; hachures indicate downside

0 100 200 FEET IIIIII I CONTOUR INTERVALS 5 AND 10 FEET PATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL (ALTITUDES ARE PREEARTHQUAKE)

11.-Map of Cape Hinchinbrook Light Station. Present bluff is substantially north of that shown, because of erosion since 1945 when the base map was made. Bedrock is graywacke.

stone. The beds range from a few the southwest side of the hoist the 1964 aanbhquake are but the inches to at least 100 feet in thick- house, no other frmtures were latest episodes in a long history of ness; some thin beds of black found in lthe station arm. cliff recession. The 8 feet of tec- argillh are interlayered with the Tihere is abundant evidence that tonic uplift that accompanied the sandstone. Bedding strikes about erosion and slumping had been eallthquake has brought the base N. 60" E. and dips 70"-80" SE. causing rapid recession of the sea- of khe seacliff above the reach of all T~WOfnacture-bounded incipient cliff since at least 1907. Availablh but extremely high dorm waves; landslide blocks (arealong the sea- maps show that at the abandoned hence the former rapid erosion of cliff. The larger one, 40 feet wide, lighthouse the cliff receded 20 feet the cliff has been ,arrested, (at least extends 200 feat westward along from 1907 to 1931 and an addi- for many years to came. An ad- the cliff from the foundation of tional 20 feet from 1931 to 1964. verse effeot of the u,plift, however, the old abandoned lighthouse. About 120 feet east of the old \\*asthe raising of the station dock concentric itension fracture, lmallg lighthouse the cliff receded abut above the level of most tides; this 2 feet wide and at least 15 feet 40 feet from 1907 to 1931 and an raising required extension of the deep, marks the inner edge of the unknown amount after that date. clock at a cost of nearly $100,000. block. A second incipient land- Cliff erosion also occurred west of slide, 75 feat long and less than 15 the abandoned lighthouse-cer- LATOUCHE AND VICINITY feet wide, is farther mest of the old tainly 5 feet from 1945 to 1964-- lighthouse site. It overlooks an old and an unknown amount in earlier Latouche is a large abandoned slump block, and it $toois bounded years. mining camp situated along a core by ,an open tension fracture. Aside New tension cracks and incipi- on the rocky northwest shore of from one small tension crack near ent slides that developed during Latouche Island (fig. 12). Bedrock EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G23 consists of finm largilljlte and sand- destroyed all ;the docks and ,piers PERRY ISLAND stone of early Tertiary age. There along the shore at Labuche and Perry Island is in the north- are no large masses of unconsoli- ei6her demolished or extensively west part of Prince William dated depsibs along the shore at damaged many of the waterfront Sound, between Perry Passage and Latouche or anywhere on ,land in buildings (fig. 13). Extensive wave Lone Passage and about 24 miles the immdhvicinihy. damage with runup as high as 58 southeast of Whittier (pl. 1). A Beoause the island w~as un- feet wvlas also apparent elmhere small camp consisting of a two- inhabiked at hhe kime of the earth- !along the shore of Latouche Pas- story house, a large storage house, quake, lths effects of shaking on sage and in Slqy Bay at the and a boathouse, is at the head of existing strudures, most of which northern tip of Latouche Island. South Bay near the southern tip were in a poor &te of rapair, are Ast Port Crawford, 1.3 miles of the island. The camp, occupied not known. Nonthern Latouche Is- ilonth\vest of Latouche, an aban- by "Ohick" and "Red" C'crmstmk, land was raised between 10 and 11 doned sawmill building was dis- is built on a bay-head gravel bar feet, by tectonic uplift, presum- placed and damaged by the waves, overlying bedrock. There are no ably during the eauthqwke. and seveval smaller struotures large masses of unconsolidated de- ha1waves of unknown origin nearby were destroyed. posits anywhere along the shore.

EXPLANATION

60'05'

Shoreline showing major wave damage, inferred direction of wave movement (arrow), relative magnitude of damage (numeral at base of arrow), and runup height of waves in feet above water level at time of earthquake (numeral on shore). Scale of magnitudes is given in the explanation of plate 2

CONTOUR INTERVAL 100 FEET DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL BATHYMETRIC CONTOURS IN FEET AS SHOWN

12.-Distribution and intensity of wave damage at Latouche and adjacent parts of northern Latouche Island. ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 2 7, 1 9'64

13.-Remains of buildings partially damaged by wares along part of Latouche waterfront. Docks, piers, and some buildings in this area mere swept away. Approximately 11 feet of twtonic uplift has raised this former port above the reach of most tides.

Shaking, in a northeast-south- side the house, were ~r-ashedinto least 37 feet above mean lower low west direction and gradually de- the slough behind the beach bar water. Several frame buildings creasing in intensity, lasted about and narrowly escaped drorvning. were displaced and some smashed 4 minutes. One chimney fell, the The boatllouse n-as floated away, into trees. Many trees 12 to 18 bay water was ruffled, and trees but. the tn-o other buildings, ~vhicll inches in diameter were 'broken by swayed, but there were no other ef- were protected by sno~vembank- ~r-ave~propellddebris. The dam- fects from the shaking. ments, were undamaged. No other age distribution indicates khat the Immediately after the earth- wares reached above the normal \rave entered the inlet from the quake, and with no prior \vith- high-\~-n.terline at Perry Island. south. Disappearance of the one drawal, an 8- to 10-foot wave of inhabitant, presumably by drown- unknown origin moved in with POINT NOWELL ing, strongly suggests a wave that great force. The wave receded Point Nan-ell is the site of a fish- struck \r-ithout xr-arning at the time within 2 minutes and exposed the ing camp on a small low peninsula of the earthquake-a rn-ave, simi- bay floor for an estimated 200 tJhat juts southw-ard from the lar to those observed at nearby yards offshore. No sooner had the mainland near the northern en- Chenega and Perry Island. bay gone dry than another wave trance to Icnight Island Passage. was seen approaching from near The ~~eninsulais underlain by bed- PORT NELLIE JUAN the lighthouse at the mouth of rock ; there :we no large masses of I'ort Sellie Juan \\*as the site of South Ray. This second wave unconsolidated deposits along the an inoperative canllery on the moved in quietly, but flooded over shore any\vhere near bhe point. northeast shore of JfcClure Bay, the beach bar to a height of about h destructive wave entered the a small arm of the much larger 21 feet above lorn-er low water. The inlet behind the peninsula and body of water also called Port Comstocks, who were standing out- flooded the area to a depth of at Kellie Juan. The cnllilery was EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G25

14.-Wave-damaged structures at Port Xellie Juan cannery. 9 ware, which ran 1111 to the snow trimline along the shore, damaged these structures, washed away the clock, and presumablr drownecl the three resident caretakers of the rannery. Photograph taken April 4,1964. built on tightly folded argillite The cause of the destructive near the southern tip of ICnigllt and graymacke of probable early Ivares in Port Sellie Juan is Island, in western Prince 7Villianl Tertiary age. unknown. Comparison of pre- Sound (fig. 17). The cannery is All three of the resiclent cannery and postearthquake soundings by built mainly on graymacke and caretakers are missing and pre- Mayo and RlcCulloch (I,. R. hlayo, slate bedrock, but the bunkhonse sumed to have dro\\-ned when the ~vrittencommun., 1965) iilclicates is in part on filled land. Thurnb cannery dock \\-as ~~aslled:~~vay in that the highest I\-aves in Kings Ray is a sheltered, sliallo\v body a ware that must have struck sud- I3ay were at least in part gener- of water surrounded by fairly denly and probably at the time of ated by massive su1)m:trine 1:lnd- steep forested slopes. the earthquake (fig. 14). Local slides of deltaic del~ositsat the Bccording to George Flemming, waves with runup heights of ns liead of the bay and nt two locali- one of the two cannery caretakers, much as 110 feet also caused ex- ties along its north shore. There the quake tremors liisted 3 to 4 tensive damage to vegetation at are 110 coml~arnl~lelarge ~mconsol- ~~linutes.Alotion came from tlir numerous other localities along the idated depoqits exposed at the sur- >ontl~eastor south-southeast : the nniilhabitecl shoms of Port Sellic face in Port Sellie Ji~nn,:lltho~ipll pronnd rollecl and t~~istedwith 1- .Juan and its \\-estw:lrd este~~sioi~, it is conceii-able that slicll t1el)osits to 2-foot :unl)litudes a~lcl1- to 2- I

16.-Barge, which is 60 feet long niitl 25 feet wide, that was broken loose from its mooring by a violent local wave in Port Nellie Juan, turned upside down. and deposited among the trees 200 feet from the shoreline at about 30 feet above mean lower low water. EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G27

Base from U.S. Geolog~calSurvey 1'63,360 Wave damage mapped by L R. Mayo and Seward A-3, 1951 George Plafker,1964

17.-Distribution and intensity of ware damagv in the vicinity of Port Oceanic cannery at Thumb Bay, Knight Island. G28 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964

18.-Buildings at the Port Oceanic cannery damaged by a ware that struck within 2 to 3 minutes of the initial shock and had a crest height about even with the cannerr floor level. Photograph taken April 4.1!364.

slight settling of one end of a had large submarine slides, but the rock with a thin veneer of sedi- bunkhouse which mas built on remote possibility that slide-gen- ments ; there are no large masses filled land. erated waves moved into it from of unconsolidated deposits along The area mas uplifted about 6 Aiuininy Bay cannot be discounted the shores. As at nea~byChenega., feet during the earthquake. One from tlle available evidence. A looal waves did far more damage wave, doubtless of local origin, ar- landslide that fell into sllallow than 'any &her earthquake-re;lated rived within 2 to 3 minutes of the water near tlle head of Mummy ca11Se. initial shock. It rose about 3 feet Hay (fig. 17) could not have dis- According to estimates of sev- above the tectonically elevated placed a large enough volume of eral eye\\-itnesses, the earthquake highest tide line at the cannery water to cause clamaging \raves lasted 4 to 5 minutes in the Saw- site, with a runup of at least 28 except, perhaps, in its immediate mill Bay area ; it was preceded and feet above that level (44 feet abol-c vicinity. :~ccompaniedby sounds like boom- meall lower low water) at the head ing thunder. Shaking began with SAWMILL BAY AND VICINITY of the bay. This wave destroyed 1 ~lortl~\vest-southeastswaying the dock, several boats, and ~vashetl Snu-mill Rny, in the south~vest- uiotion that soon became fast and . . some piling snl>portsout froin un- r1.n 1)art of Prince I'lrilliam Sound, ~wr.~.lng,bnt much of the later tler the canilery (fig. 18). Solater is :II~inclentation on Evans Islancl niorement seemed to be almost waves were observed ill Tllulill) olf the jullctioll of Latouche ancl vertic:ll. Pilings of the Crab Bay ('eve. I*~lringtoton Passages (fig. 19). ca:llinery tlock \\-ere lifted upward Tlie cause of tlie local waves in ,Iloiig its shores are several homes, c1e:u. of the \v:~ter,but the caps and Thumb Core is uncertain. The :I fuel clept, and three canneries, tlock deck \\-ere not displaced. cove, is less than 125 feet deep, one of them inoperative. All these Three poorly constructed chim- hence probably too shallow to have structures are on bedrock or bed- neys were cracked or toppled and EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G29

SAWlMILL BAY

Shoreline showing major wave damage, inferred direction of wave movement

ove water level at time of ea

Base from U S Geolog~calSurvey 1 63.360 0 y2 1 MILE Wave damage mapped by L R Mayo an0 Seward A-3, 1951 George Plafker, 1964 Il11I 1111 CONTOUR INTERVALS IN FEET AS SHOWN DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL BATHYMETRIC CONTOURS IN FEET AS SHOWN

19.-Diskribution and intensity of wave damage in Sawmill Bay and vicinity, Evans Island. G30 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19164

some movable objects in homes extreme high-tide level but caused by tectonic uplift rather than by and canneries fell or moved about. no damage. vibration or waves. The ice was cracked on a small The waves damaged piling be- According to Karol Kompkoff artificial water-supply lake back neath some structures and demol- and Ivan D. Anten of Taititlek, of Port Ashton. Moreover, small ished one dock. Vessels and skiffs rumbling sounds ware heard about leaks, not large enough to require near San Juan Cannery and Port 10 seconds before the onset of the repairs, developed beneath the Ashton mere beached or carried earthquake vibrations, which lake's concrete dam. These leaks, away; two 20- by 70-foot scows lasted from 3% to 5 minutes. The which suggest that vibration were swept up into the trees and church bell rang, small objects fell caused some cracking of the con- deposited one on the other. Two from shelves, and standing was crete, are one of the very few residents at Port ,Ashton who were difficult to impassible, but there examples of earthquake damage to swept into the water barely es- 11-c?is no structural damage. The dams throughout the stricken caped drowning, but one man at small village reservoir became area. The San Juan cannery dock Crab Ray was drowned in lthe first completely empty but filled again at the head of Sawmill Bay was high wave while trying to secure after 2 weeks. Effects were much not affected nor was there any a skiff. the same at Ellamar, though one other damage from the shaking. Numerous local waves caused chimney fell and some windows Sawmill Bay is a short distance shoreline damage at various unin- were broken, according to the care- west of Montague Island, where habitad localities along Elrington taker, Carl Aranson. the greatest recorded tectonic up- and Latouche Passages (pl. 2). The sea at Tatitlek withdrew lift twk place. Uplift in the vicin- Many were higher and more vio- "in~mediately" during the earth- ity of the bay was about 10 feet; lent than those in Sawmill Bay. cluako and came back up to 17 or 18 it required modification of the One unoccupied house on Elring- feet above normal mean lower low dock facilities and lengthening ton Passage, just southwest of water, but did nolt reach above the of grid skidways in order to Sawmill Bay (fig. 19), was de- extreme high-tide line, which had float stored fishing boats before stroyed. been teatonically elevated about 4 the canneries could .resume The origin of the destruative to 5 feet. High and erratic tides operations. w aves in various parts of Sawmill were noted for several hours after Local waves of unknown origin Bay and vicinity is unknown. the earthquake, but none caused that caused most of the damage in Surges observed at Sa,wmill Bay any damage. the vicinity of Sawmill Bay began later during the night of March 27 Tatitlek's ,port facilities were 2 minutes after onwt of the earth- and morning of March 28 undoubt- aotually improved somewhat as a quake, according to Carl Blind- edly were due to passage of the result of the eanthquake. The port, heim. The water first rose smoothly long-period seismic sea waves that which is close to the village, and slowly for an estimated 1min- entered the sound from the Gulf of depends on a natural anchorage ute, then rushed out to at least the AIaska. in Tatklek Narrows that is pantly minus 20-foot level in a few sec- TATITLEK AND VICINITY proteoted by rocky reefs. The nor- onds; all the bottom of Crab Bay mal water depth of 6 feet below Tatitlek is a fishing village on and large expanses of Sawmill mean lower low water was par- Tatitlek Narrows, between Valdez Bay were exposed. Within a few tially lost \when the land was Srm and Port Fidalgo, near the moments the sea rushed back with raised 4 ko 5 feet, but the Corps of northeast corner of Prince Wil- tremendous roar and turbulence to Engineers campensated for the liam Sound. Its population was in- as high as 10 feet above the ex- uplift by dredging the anchorage creased to about 150 when the sur- treme high-tide level along seg- 6 feet deeper. Because the reefs vivors of the Chenega tragedy inents of the uplifted shore (fig. were also upraised, the basin no\)* (about 50j were resettled at the 19). All this happened before ces- has more proteation from storms village. The inactive mining camp sation of seismic shaking. There of Ellamar is nearby. Both local- than it did originally. were no other large waves, but ities are underlain by argillite- There is no obvious aause for the smaller sur*ges continued to come gray\\-acke-g.1.eenstone bedrock or single wave olbserved ak Tatitlek in at intervals for about 5 hours bedrock with a. thin veneer of gla- cluring t,he earthquake. The timing on a rising tide. The highest of cial drift. All buildings are wood, and char~terist~icsof the high these, at about 1:00 a.m., reached most with dug piling foundations. tides that followed suggest ptts- close to the tect~nicallyelevated Damage was slight and was caused sage of seismic sea waves. EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMWNITIES

20.-Typical extensively fissured sand dune on the Copper River Delta.

COMMUNITIE,S OF THE sprwd ground fissuring in ui~wn- as the Y,akataga area, 200 miles COASTAL BBLT EAST OF solidatecl flu~~ioglacial,alluvial, from the epicenter, and ice was PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND eolian, and marine deposits along cracked on lakes as far as Crillon the coastal belt as far east as Rus- Lake, about 400 miles =st of the The coastal belk east of Srince sell Fiord in the Yakutat area, epicenter. William Sound and &he offshore some 300 iniles east of the api- Tectonic uplift affected the en- islands are sparsely inhabited, and center. Ground fissures developed tire coastal belt and adjacent off- were relakively undamaged by t.he in large areas of khe Capper River shore islands to the east of Prince earthquake. The only permallently Delta (Reimnikz and Marshall, William Sound. It was between 6 inhabiked localities include a small 1965), along the margins of Con- and 10 feet at the Copper River Coast Guard light sbation alt Cape troller Bay, and throughout much Delta and possibly as much as 14 Saint ,Elias on Kayak Island, an of the coas~tallowlands extending feet at Cape Suckling; it de- FAA facility on Middleton Is- from Cape Suckling aastmard to creased progressively eastward land, a small settlement at Yaka- Yakutat Bay (figs. 20-22). Many and died out near Yakaltaga tqga, and a fishing villlage with of these fissures were accom- several Government installations (Plafker, 1969, pl. 1.) panied by extrusion of sand, Unlike most of the other coast- at Y,akutat (pl. 1).There are no gravel, and silt on sand dunes, ele- al regions in the earkhquake- other communities between Yak- vated beach ridges, t~lluvialflood affected area, there are no known utat and the panhandle of south- plains, and tidal flats. eastern Alaska, a distance of about Sumesous landslides ant1 ava- places in the coastal belt east of 150 miles. litnches, many of enormous size, Prince William Sound where local The earthquake \\-as strongly were triggered in the fdhills and waves or seismic sea waves reached felt througho~~tmost of 'the coastal lnountains ilortll of the coastal above the elevated extreme high- belt. Seismic shaking caused wide- Ion-land at least as far eastward water levels. G32 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 2 7, 1964 EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES

CAPE SAINT ELIAS prior to the earthquake (see fig. lions at the pinnacle had a leg 23). The promontory at the base broken by the falling rock. Later, Cape Saint Elias is the site of of which the station is located and as he was being carried back to the Coast Guard light station on the Pinnacle Rock consist of a mas- station by the other three crew southwestern tip of Kayak Island, sive porphyritic intrusive rock of members, a series of seismic sea just off the Bering Glacier on the middle Tertiary age. waves that flooded over the low- nonth-central coast of Prince 7351- According to William 13. lying gravel bar drowned the in- liam Sound. Pinnacle Rock, a O'Neal, one of the station crew- of jured man and nearly drowned his rugged rock promontory, off the four men, the fast jarring motion companions. These waves report- tip of Kayak Island, was accessible of the earthquake lasted about 5 edly struck at about 695 p.m., from the light station at low tides minutes. There \\-as no damage (to almost an hour after the start of the station except for displace- the earthquake. The first wave, ment of a few small articles. Tec- which reportedly came from the 21 (upper left) .-Linear fissures and es- tensive areas of ejected mud (dark) in tonic nplift at Cape Saint Elias southeast, overtopped the ~tecton- the tidal flats along the shore of Con- was about 6 to 8 feet. ically elevated gravel bar to a troller Bay. Within seconcls after the iniltial cleptl~of about 4 feet; it was irn- shock, however, massive rockfall mediately followed by a second 22 (lower left).--Fissured and slunlp+?d was triggered at Pinilacle Rocli and higher wave from the north- fluvioglacial deposits bordering a kettle lake at the eastern margin of Berink (fig. 23). One of the crew mem- v7est that swept the men into the Glacier. bers who was photographing sea. 5P:t.

23.-Aerial view of Cape Saint Elias (left) and Pinnacle Rock (right) at the southwestern tip of Kayak Island. A portion of the earthquake-triggered rock fall from Pinnacle Rock is in the lower right corner (arrow) ; the Cape Saint Elias Coast Guard station is circled. G34 ALASKA EARTHQUARE, MARCH 2 7, 19 64 MIDDLETON ISLAND long. Small objects in some build- Middleton Island, 80 miles ings reportedly were thrown off southwest of Cordova in the Gulf shelves or tables, water sloshed of Alaska, is lthe site of an FAA out of an emergency water tank navigation facility and emergency 14 feet in diameter, and some fis- ahfield. The island is underlain by sures formed in the gravel air- poorly indurated sedimentary strip. There was no structural rocks of late Cenozoic age. damage. Two trappers, Clarence Earthquake tremors on the is- Tarbelt and Steve Smas, said the land, described as moderately ground motion on the broad fore- strong, caused a few small items land west of Yakataga was so vio- to be moved about in buildings. lent they mere thrown to the The only noteworthy damage was ground. Witliin 1% minutes after >thatto oil lines from the fuel stor- the earthquake began, they ob- age tanks; these broke and nearly served fissures forming in the fro- all of the oil was lost. zen ground and a sound "like an Tectonic uplift associated with awful rush of mater". According the earthquake was roughly 11 to these 2 observers, individual fis- feet, but the movement caused no sures laced the area and some damage because there are no dock zones of fissures could be traced or harbor facilities. According to for a mile or more. Collapse pits Dwight Meeks, a seismic sea wave along some of the fissures were as which struck the island from the much as 9 feet in diameter and 14 west an estimated 20 minutes af- feet deep. Water with mud or fine ter the start of lthe earthquake, silt was ejected from some ground did not remh to the tectonically fissures intermittently, for a few elevated high-tide level, and wn- seconds at a time, to an estimated height of 8 to 10 feet. Streams in sequeintly caused no damage. 24.-Intensely fissured road at the the vicinity that were dry at the crest of an elevated beach ridge west YAKATAGA start of the shaking "were running of Yakat~aga. Yakataga is a small community in torrents" within a few minutes because of the vast amount of wa- on Cape Yakataga along the Gulf cleanly (partedin five ,places where ter poured out of the ground fis- of Alaska coast, about 200 miles it was crossed by fissures. The cas- sures, and perhaps, because of east of the earthquake epicenter ing of a nearby labandonedoil well cracking of ice-dammed lakes up- and 100 miles west of Yakutat. It sheared off near cthe surface ~vitli stream. The high mater lasted for consists mainly of an FAA sta- a "pqp like a rifle shot" n few sec- 11 days. In spite of the strong tion, a communications facility, onds (after the shaking stopped, shaking, Tarbelt reports, damage and dwellings of a few trappers lxesumably (because of horizontal in his cabin consisted of only one and prospectors. The FAA facil- movement of lthe frozen ground. spice can shaken from the shelves. ity and airstrip are built on Shortly after the earthquake fluvioglacial outwash deposits, The main damage in khe arm ended, sei~micsea waves in tlie whereas the communimtions fa- consisted of extensive fissuring of form of erratic t3idesaiid swift cur- cility and other hmes are on the abandoned oil-exp1or;ation mess rents were olbserved along the lake Tertiary sedimentrary mcks ro'ads (fig. 24) and buckling of shore of Cepe Yakahaga. Charles some bridges due to lateral move- that form Cape Yakataga. Earth- Rilderback, a long-{time resident quake damage in the area was ment of the banks inward toward of the oa,pe, noted thart the sea was oonfined to fissuring of ~oadsthat tlie channels. Horizontal dieplace- calm at the time aiid almost ,atzero extend from Yakaoagta acrm the merit across some fissures was as tide stage. The first ,svater move- coastal lowlmd to lthe west. much as 10 feet, arid pressure ment was a ~vithdnawal ithat Ground motion in an east-west ridges formed from 1/2 to 8 feet reached a low of about -6 feet at direction was strongly felt in the high. Tlarbelt observed that a 5/8- 6 :25 p.m., ,almost 1 hour after the Yakataga area for durations esti- inch steel cable which had frozen sbart of the earthquake. By using mated to be from 4 to 8 minutes into the ground surface was rocks on the reef as a reference for EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES estimaiting tide levels, he recorded Mountains. The village is on a, late who were camping an a bedrock the following sequence of wave Holocene end moraine, the airfield site near the head of Yakutat Bay heights (relakive to mean lower is on (aneAensive thick deposit of were completely unaware that aa law water) during the evening fluvioglacial out~vasb, ,and Fthe earthquake had occurred until they after the earthquake : facilities along the coast are on returned to Yakubt later in the moraine or marine beuh deposits. evening. A significant difference in Alaska . The eahhquake was strongly ground response to the passage of standard High water Low water time (p.m.) (feet) (.feet) felt ithroughout the Yakutat Fore- seismic waves in the bedrock as 6:25------6.0 to land (as an &-~~.-estrolling or compared to the thick unoonsoli- - 8.0(?) sw,aying motion thak built up to a dated deposits of the foreland is 6:35-----*-lo-_------paak in about 30 seconds and thus refleoted. 6:45----_r_------0 6:55------12-----_-_------lasted a total of 6 minutes (timed), A single wave was observed 7:05------0------according to A. T. Gorman of the along the shore at the village dur- 7:18 ------1 (surge) U.S. Weather Bureau. ,Some indi- ing the earthquake. The roiled and 7:30 ------. -6.0 viduals r~porteda feeling of mo- muddy water reported in the vicin- 7:45--__---8------ition sickness during the eafith- 7:50---_------(I------ity 'the next day suggests the possi- 7:55 ----....- lo------_____------quake. Small items were thr~~vn bility that a submarine dide 7:58------O_------from shelves in stores and in some occurred in the Khantaak Island 8:07-- - _ - - - 13 (followed _ ------homes, buk there was no structural area,, the site of a disastrous slide by 6-ft damage. Ice on many lakes was that killed three people at the time surge) 8:16---__--12-_------___------broken and some lakes drained. of the 1958 earthquake (Davis and 8:40-- _ _ _ ------0 (followed The ground movement caused Sanders, 1960, p. 242-246). Erratic by surge) trucks parked on bhe airfield mmp tides were observed after (theearth- 8:50------4 to roll back and fonth as much as quake and were presumably asmi- 9:20------10 (followed - - _ ------10 feet, ,and aaused roller-mounted ated with passage of seismic sea by surge) 10:50------14--__------. doors of the ilarge FAA hangar, waves. None of them reached which are oriented northwest- above extreme high-water level or The waves were followed by surges sowthemt, to ,alkeraately open and caused damage in the vicinity of of 1 to 3 feet emry few hours for slam closed. Rumbling noises were t.he village. However, the two seal hut5 (days after &heaa~thqnake. heard during the earthquake and hunters at the head of Yakutat No damage )was ciaused iby the a series of loud imises described as Bay reported that (ti+ level there waves, the highest of which similar to "cannon shots" were reached approximately 6 feet reached a~proximaitelyto ;the nor- heard for abouk 90 minutes after- above normal highest water at mal extreme high-tide level of ward. The noises reportedly came about 11 :00 p.m. ; apprehension ,about 15 f&. from the vicinity of Khantaak Is- caused by the abnormal tidss land, a few miles northwest of the prompted them to leave their Y AKUTAT village. camp hurriedly and return to Ya- Slight damage to the concrete kutat by boat that evening. Yakut,at is the site of a native runway and parking ramp at the fishing vilFage land cannery near airfield resulted from vertical KE,NAI PENINSULA the mouth of Yakutat Bay about movement of concrete slabs and COMMUNrnIEIS half way between Juneau and Cor- cracking of some of the slabs. Ac- dova, and lahost 300 miles west of cording to Mr. Gormm, damage to This sectioil discusses only the the aarthquake qpicenter. A lmge the runway and parking ramp was smaller communitjes on the Kenai airfield and FAA facililty are just somewhat greater than that which Peninsu1:t that were damaged by the earthquake; it dmnot include east of the village, and a Coast occurred during the July 10,1958, the follomiilg towns which have al- Guard loran station and ,a micro- earthquake that ceiltered about 100 ready been described in the Geo- wave relay facility are along the miles southeast of Yakutat (Davis logical Survey's Professional Pa- coast nearby. Inhabited areas are and Sanders. 1960, p. 237-238). per series on the earthquake: on a low-lying coastal plain, Although ground motion was Whitltier (Kachadoorian, 1965), the Yakutat Foreland, \vhich is strongly felt throughout the Ya- Seward (hmke, 1967), Homer bounded on the north~l-estby rug- kutat Foreland, two seal hunters (Waller, 1966a), Lawing and ged foothills of the Saint Elias (Jack Williams and Sam Dick) Moose Pass (McCulloch, 1966). G36 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 2 7, 19164

Port Nellie Juan, along the shore partly because it shut down auto- the fissures. Reports on homes and of Prince William Sound, mas dis- matically when troubled plants other structures in Girdwood are cussed on page G24. in Anchorage tripped overload scarce, but those obtained indicate People in all the communities on switches on the entire power sys- that seismic shaking did not the peninsula felt the earthquake tem (Eckel, 1967, p. B20). directly damage any structure. of March 27, 1964. Major damage ENGLISH BAY However, seismic shaking did by seismic shaking occurred at generate n u m e r o u s fissures Portage, at the docking facility of English Bay, formerly called throughout the town. Locally, Nikiski, and at the military instal- *4lexandrovsk, is a fishing village some slight displacement down- lation of Wildwood Station. Seis- on English Bay about 10 miles slope occurred in the water-soaked mic sea waves inundated the mater- southwest of Seldovia. As at Sel- fine-grained unconsolidated sedi- front of Seldovia and logging dovia and Port Graham, the only ments. Damage was widespread on camps at Puget Ray and Whidbey damage done by the earthquake the railroad grade and highway Bay. The chief cause of damage to was by tectonic subsidence of roadbed. the coastal commu~litiesby the about 5 feet. A few houses that Five feet of regional subsidence earthquake was tectonic and local were partly flooded at high tides and ail additional 3 feet of local surficial subsidence. English Bay, mere torn down and replacements subsidence occurred at gird\^-ood. Port Graham, Girdwood, Hope, were built on higher ground by This total 8-foot subsidence was Kenai, Portage, Rocky Bay and the Red Cross. enough to put much of the lower Seldovia all subsided. Three af GIRDWOOD lying areas of the tow11 under these-Girdwood, Hope, and Port- water during high tides. During The small town of Girdwood, age-were partiaJ1y or completely the high tides of April 14, 1964, about 55 miles west-southwest of inundated by extreme high tides all of the highway, much of the tlie epicenter of the earthquake, is after the earthquake. railroad west of the railroad on a gently sloping alluvial fan depot, and all of the town bet~eeii COOPER LANDING where Glacier Creek flows into the railroad and highway were Turnagain Arm. The town is Cooper Landing is at the west inundated. Water was as much as bordered on the east, west, and end of Kenai Lake, whose outlet 3 feet deep in some of the build- north by mountains, and on the forms the head of Kenai River. ings, and subsequently the build- south by Turnagain Arm. As described by McCulloch ings were moved to higher ground (1966), seismic vibration was Girdwood is underlain by silt, or placed on stilts. severe in this vicinity, ground fis- sand, and gravel deposits which sures were very numerous, and the become coarser grained from the HOPE land surface was warped by ver- toe toward the apex of the alluvial Hope is a small mining and fish- tical tectonic displacements. fan. The water table varies in ing community on the south shore Despite the relatively heavy depth; it is near the surface at the of Turnagain Arm at tlie mouth shaking, damage to structures, coastline of Turnagain Arm and of Resurrection Creek. Surrouilded other than the highway bridge becomes progressively deeper in- on three sides by the rugged (Kachadoorian, 1968), was rela- land toward the apex of the fan. Kenai Mountains, the town itself tively light. Several concrete Seismic motion at Girdwood is on the gently sloping surface porch slabs and foundations mere m a s northwest-southeast a n d of the creek's delta. It is underlain cracked where fissures intersected lasted for about 4 to 5 minutes. by relatively coarse gravel and them, cinder-block chimneys fell, One person who was driving a car sancl, probably less than 150 feet and plumbing fixtures were bro- on the Seward-Anchorage High- thick. Before the earthquake the ken. Dishes and glassware, of way at Girdwood reported that water table was less than 15 fcet course, were smashed, and several the motion was so violent that he below the surface. small fuel-oil and propane-gas could not control the vehicle. I{csidcnts of Hope rel~orteclthat tanks broke open when their sup- IVhen one of his passengers got seismic motion started suddenly, ports collapsed. Some buildiiigs out of the car she was thro~~-iito \v:ts east-west, and lasted about 4l/z coiitiiiuecl to settle and to develop tlie ground. ~liiliutes. Tlicy thought that the new cracks for several days after Many fissures developed on the eartbqunke \v:ts a ininor one and the earthquake. lo~verlying areas underlain by the clitl not realize its severity until The nearby Cooper Lake hydro- finer grained deposits. Water and later. ('alvin Ihier, :t resident of electric plant was undamaged, niud \\-ere ejected from some of Hopc since 1031, stated that the EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES

1964 Alaska earthquake was much subsidence caused accelerated ero- kiski was not damaged, nor were less intense than the one that oc- sion of natural bluffs and of a any of the producing wells. The curred in 1936. manmade embankment along the catwalk over the pipeline between Most of the relatively minor Cook Inlet side of the town. the shore and the offshore loading earthquake damage was caused by Ceiling tiles and some light fix- terminal collapsed during the subsidence rather than by vibra- tures fell in the newly built Kenai shaking, but the pipelines them- Ition. Seismic shaking toppled Central High School, and a \\-all selves remained intact (fig. 27). one ooncrete-block ohimney and in one room parted from the floor A tanker that was loading fuel oil knocked off some shelf goods. Mr. slab but there was no other struc- at the time of the earthquake Drier's home, a log cabin resting tural damage. Minor cracks pulled away from the terminal on fine gravel, sand, and silt, set- formed in numerous other public until the tremors subsided, then tled about a foot into the ground. and commercial buildings, but the was able to resume loading (Chee- Seismic shaking also formed many greatest damage occurred to their chako News, Kenai, April 3,1964). ground fissures, the largest about contents, displaced by the shaking. At the Nikiski tank farm a small 1/2 mile long with a maximum Wildwood Station, with an esti- water tank collapsed, a fuel stor- width of 6 inches. Water spouts,, mated complement of 700 men, ex- age tank was buckled at its base, one of which was reportedly 8 feet perienced relatively severe damage and several floating roofs on stor- high and lasted for 4 minutes, oc- from seismic vibrations. Greatest age tanks were damaged by earth- curred during the earthquake. damage was to an elevated steel quake-generated seiche waves ill The primary cause of damage at water tower which collapsed. The the containers (Rinne, 1967). Hope was not seismic shaking but rush of released water struck the Some fire bricks were also knocked the effects of regional and local Officer's Club about 200 feet west out of the refinery burner wall. subsidence. Tectonic subsidence of of the tower, broke several win- about 5 feet and local surficial sub- dows, and injured one man. ,411 PORT GRAHAM sidence of as much as 1 foot was power and other utilities were dis- sufficient to flood some houses dur- rupted temporarily, but an emer- Port Graham is a fishing vil- ing high tides. In others, base- gency source of power supplied lage on the south side of English ments only were flooded. The some electricity and steam and Bay. It is on metamorphosed bed- encroaching saline water of Turn- pumped water while main lines ded rocks of Mesozoic age. As at again Arm raised the water level and facilities were under repair. Seldovia, 7.5 miles to the north- in many wells and made the water The water tower was an all steel east, virtually all of the damage somewhat salty. structure supported by six posts, done by the earthquake was with an elevated tank which was caused by tectonic subsidence of KENAI AND VICINITY full to within 5,000 gallons of its aboutt 3 feet. According to Mrs. Kenai is on the west coast of the 150,000-gallon capacity. During Vern Rimling and Mickey Moo- Kenai Peninsula, at the mouth of the earthquake the tank began to nan, a gentle swaying motion, the Ken$ River. The city is a fish- sway. About halfway through the mostly in an east-west direction, ing and farming center as well as earthquake, sthe manhole cover at lasted from 3 to 4 minutes; a few a supply point for much of the the top blew off and water spouted articles fell from shelves, boats 011 Kenai Lowland. Wildwood Sta- out of the manhole. Then the tower ways swayed moderakely , and tion, 5 miles to the north, is an split in two pieces and failed; one trees rustled, but there was no Air Force base, and Nikiski, 10 half fell against the petroleum- property damage from the earth- miles to the north, is a shipping oil-lubricants building southwest quake vibrations. Minor ground terminal for petroleum products of the tower center and the second cracks appeared in unconsoli- from the nearby Swanson River half fell northwest of the tower dated deposits, and numerous oil field. The Kenai area is under- center. Figures 25 and 26 are rockfalls and rockslides were trig- lain by glacial till and out\\-ash photographs sho~\~ingthe de- gered in the surrounding moun- on an extremely thick sequence of stroyed water tower. Note that the tains. One relatively low wave poorly consolidated continental tank broke across the 13-elds rather came in about 9 minutes after the sediments of late Tertiary age. th,m along them. earthquake but it reached only to Nearly all of the relatively minor The pipeline that transports about half-tide level and did no damage in the Kenai area \\-as petroleum southward from the damage. During the night after caused by strong seismic shaking, Swanson River oil field to load- the earthquake, erratic tides though a sinall amount of tectonic ing and refinery facilities at Ni- reached to the approximate ex- G38 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE. MARCH 2 7, 1 9864

2.5.-Tiew westward showing sonthn7esthalf of collapwd water tower at Wild~~.oodStation. Offieerw' club in background. Photograph by 17.S. Air Force. EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G39

%.-Northeast half of collapsed TI-aterto\\-er at lVild\~ootlStation. Photogrnl~hby U.S. Air Force.

27.-Collapsed cat\\-alk at Niliislii refining facility. G40 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19 64

0 500 1000 FEET LIJIIIIIII DATUM IS APPROXIMATE MEAN SEA LEVEL

Base map by Walker & Whiteford, Inc.. Seattl?. Wash. Fractures mapped by D. S. McCulloch from photographs taken June 4, 1'364 for Alaska Department of Highways Datum: Horizontal,U.S. Geological Surv~y; vertical, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (as of April 17, 1964)

28.-Major earthquakeinduced fissures in Portage area. The entire area shown was inundated by high tides on April 14, 1964.

treme high-tide level. Tectonic grained silt, sand, and grqvel. other half fell outside. Most of the subsidence of about 3 feet caused Locally, the water table is within buildings in town were damaged flooding of the cannery by high a foot and generally not more than to some degree by the seismic mo- tides, and some waterfront struc- 3 feet from the surface. tion. In addition, further damage tures were partly damaged by high Seismic motion at Portage was was caused by ground fissures that tides during the winter of 1964-65. northwest-southeast and lasted for formed beneath the buildings dur- By the spring of 1965 a new and 5% to 6 minutes. As in other lo- ing the earthquake. The largest of higher beach berm had been built calities, (the motion started gently, the fissures was 4 feet wide; stheir by natural processes and has since but at Portage it became violent average width rvas only 2 feet. protected the waterfront area within a few seconds after it Figure 28 slio\vs the major 1):it- from flooding. started. Vibration caused struc- terns of fissures that develq~eclill tlie ground at l'ortage. Solne PORTAGE tural damage to several buildings in Portage and generated numer- buildings are asltride fissures that The small town of Portage, ous cracks or fissures in the disturbecl foundations and in some about 40 miles southwest of the ground. George Larson, of Por- i~lstaricesdanzaged the buildings. epicenter, is 011 the Seward- tage, reported that during seismic Sono of the buildings, however, ,4nchorage Higllway at the head shaking the chimney at a gasoline were damaged beyoiicl repair. of Turllagain Arm. The town is on station was destroyed; one-half of Sumerous water spouts, sollie 2.5 a flat surface underlain by fine- it fell intr) the building and the to 30 feet higli, occurrecl ill the EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES G41 town dur,ing the earthquake. Mr. Ijarson reporked ithat the wahr spouts continued for about 2 minutes after the earthquake. The ejected water oonkained a large amount of silt land sand which mantled the highway and other sur5aces after t31ie water hacl chained away. Although seismic shaking and resultarit ground fissures damaged buildings, the highway, and The Alaska Xailroad grade, the subsidence had ,the most clamagiiig effmt. The Piortage area had a regional subsidence of slightly more khan 5 feet and, in adclitioii, local sttbsideizce of 1% to 2 feet. Loclal subsidence was greatest in areas underlain by thick fill, such :IS the highway roadbed ~\yhicli,in places, sltbsicled more than 3% feet. All tlie area on the map (fig. 28), which prior to tlie earthquake was ,above high-tide level, TTas inundated by the post earthquake high tides. Figure 29, a photograph taken on April 14, 1964, shows the extent of the flooding. Once it became evideillt, to local residenks that the town x~ouldbe flooded continually during extreme (hightides, they mored many of the buildings to higher -ground-some mere moved to In- dian, about 20 miles north~vestof 29.-Tertical aerial photograph of Portage area showing extent of inundation by Portage, on the Seward-ili~cllor- high tides of April 11, 1964. Photograph by Air Photo Tech., Anchorage, Alaska. age Highway. be 20 to 30 feet high, all aloiig tlie area welit dry for about 3 days. PUGET BAY beach flats near tlie camp. Numer- Tectonic uplift during tlle earth- A small logging camp at the ous landslides and :LVR~I~C~~Sq~take ele\71aterl tlle 1:tnd about .i liead of Puget Bay on the rugged were triggered on the nearby feet relative to sen level. south comt of the I

:30.-Seldoria as it nj)lwared ill 1l;lrc.h 196.7. with restorecl jlilier harbor fiwilities and breakwaters, piers. and docks raised to compensate for the 31/.-foot twto~iicsubsicle~lce. I'liotograph by C.S. hrniy. rASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964 onset of the earthquake and that COMMUNrMES OF nek River on Kvichak Bay, itself the vibrations were appreciably WESTERN COOK INLET an arm of Bristol Bay. It is pri- slower in reaching Whidbey Bay, AND THE ALASKA marily a fishing village but is also even though the bay and Seward PENINSULA the center for field stations of the are labout equidistant from the epi- Air Force, Fish and Wildlife Most of the communities on the center. The shaking opened fis- Service, and the Federal Aviation remote Alaska Peninsula and in sures in the frozen ground around Agency. It is chiefly underlain by the northern Aleutian Range are the camp with sounds described as several hundred feet of morainal small, widely spaced coastal fish- "like rifle shots." Lateral move- and outwash deposits, some of ing villages. The earthquake, ment of the beach bar caused a which appear to be fine grained. which was stroizgly felt through- shallow graben 6 feet wide to open According to Wilkie Meleau of out the region, caused widespread near the camp. The valley train the King Salmon Inn, who timed ground breakage and cracking of at the head of the bay was exten- a rolling motion of ground and ice on the coastal lowlands and in sively fissured and mud was ejected buildings at 7 minutes, light fix- the larger river valleys as far over large areas. Creeks re- tures swayed, one windov and a southwest as Ugashik, on the portedly went dry for about 10 sewerline were cracked, and a pin- Ala

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

All of tlie damage and casualties some structures. Violent water generated destructive local wares related to the 1964 Alaska earth- waves that accompanied most sub- along the shores of inany enclosed quake resulted either directly from aqueous slides were a major indi- or semiellclosed water Imclies earth tremors and tectonic dis- rect effect of tlle earth tremors. Re- within the deformed region. placements or indirectly from gional vertical tectonic displace- water ~vnvesgenerated by them. nrents, 1)otll 1upw:lrd :nld tlo\vn- GElOLOGIC CONTROL OF (fronnd nrotion cluriiip passage of \\-:lrtI cnnsetl long-tcrm cianr:~gcxto VIBRATORY DAMAGE seisinic \\-ares caused t1anr:lge to coastal coll\innnitics and shoreline DISTRIBUTION structures primarily t111.ongll (1) insti~llntiotis\~itliin south-central Tlrc. intensity of seismic sllocli triggering of numerous subaerial ,il:~sl;n tlirectlg tliro~~gllchanges i111tl :~ttelrtlililt tltliringe to strnr- :lnd subaqueo~us landslides, (2) in their positions relative to the tnres vilriecl 1ir;trkedly froill place ~videsprcaclfissuring of underly- sea :~nclindirectly from tlle seis- to place, nncl appeared to 1x inore ing unconsolidated deposits caused mic sea wares they generated. In closely controllccl by the local geo- I)y diflereiitial horizontal or verti- ndclition, large-scale horizontal tec- logic environment than by prox- cal mo~emeiats,aiacl (3) shaking of tonic iiaovc~neilts may also have iinity to the epicenter. I11 general, EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES

it was greatest in areas of thick, the only effect of the vibrations sustained at Portage, Lawing, water-saturated unconsolidated there was the breaking of a few Moose Pass, and Homer on the deposits, least on well-induraitd dishes that toppled from shelves Kenai Peninsula. Most other com- bedrock, and intermediate on and of glass ashtrays that were munities in and around Cook Inlet Quaternary unmnsolidaited de- knocked off tables. At the home 011 comparable foundations, such posh with relatively low water of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Clock on as Ninilchik, Kasilof, Soldotna, ta~bileor on moderately indurated Peak Island, only about 25 miles and Tyonek, were undamaged. sedimen~ta'ryrocks of late Tertiary southn-est of the epicenter, shak- Structures in Palmer, Wasilla, age. As a consequence, meaningful ing merely threw three books from Sutton, and Matanuska in the isoseismal lines based on the the overloaded top shelf of a ceil- Matanuska Valley were also un- Modified Mercalli Intensity scale ing-high bookcase and tipped one damaged. Mercalli intensities in cannot be drawn tvikhin the region casserole off a tilted stove top. such areas, although highly vari- of greatest earkhquake-induced Elsewhere in bedrock areas of able, were probably no more than damage. The generalization that the Chugach and Kenai Moun- VII, but may have reached VIII both the intensity and duration tains and of the Kodiak group of in the Kenai area. of earthquake vibrations are en- islands, the effect of the tremors The most severe direct vibratory hanced in unconsolidated ground, \\-as comparable, even on large damage to communities described panticularly in areas of high water buildings of ferroconcrete. At the in this report was sustained in table (Gutenberg, 195'7), is strik- port of Whittier, 40 miles from the areas of I\-ater-saturated alluvial iqgly borne ouk by the distribution epicenter, there was no structural deposits, such as the Copper River of the vibration-induced damage. damage to the very large Buckner Delta area east of Colrdova and at Significantly, nowhere in the Building nor to a large modern Girdwood, Hope, and Portage near earthquake-affected r e g i o n was steamplant, both of which are the head of Turnagain Arm. At there noteworthy damage to the founded on bedrock (Kacha- these communities, and in previ- numerous structures founded on doorian, 1965). At other commu- ously described communities in indurated rock or bedrock veneered nities on bedrock sites in the comparable geologic ~Ltings,dam- with thin unconsolidated deposits. southern Kenai Peninsula and the age resulted more from foundahion At the communi~tiesdescribed in Kodiak group of islands, includ- failure than from vibrahion of this report, damage to structures ing the cities of Seldovia and structures. At the Cordova FAA founded on bedrock was very Kodiak, direct vibration damage station, Girdwod, and Portage, minor. Ik consisted of toppling or to structures was negligible. In vibratory loading of nonmhesive cracking of unreinforced brick all these bedrock areas the esti- granular deposits during the chimneys at Sawmill Bay and El- mated Mercalli intensities, as based earthquake resulted in lml lamar, a slight settling of one end on effects to people and inanimate ground fissuring and foundation of the bunkhouse into filled ground objects, probably did not exceed damage. Causes of the fissuring at Port Oceanic, and toppling of VI to VII. are probably diverse and are re- a stovepipe at Perry Island. Struc- In the Kenai Lowland, on the lated to the physical properties of tural damage from seismic shock west shore of Cook Inlet, and in the materials composing each de- at Cordova was confined to areas the Matanuska Valley, local struc- posit, as well as to its configura- east of the oity on the Copper tural damage was sustained from tion. Fissuring of natural mate- River Delta. No other damage, direct seismic vibrations at various rials and unwmpated fills under other than some slight breakage communities located on late Ter- vibratory loading in these locali- caused by moving about of the con- tiary sedimentary deposits having ties is most probably caused by (1) tents of buildings occurred at relatively low water tables. Thus, differential compaction or volume communities on bedrock sites any- shaking in the vicinity of Kenai reduction clue to closer packing of

where else in the Prince William was strong enough to topple a the constitu~entgrains- and (or) (2) Sound epicentral region. water tank, to destroy part of the varying degrees of liqu~efactionof The habitation closest to the epi- pier and to damage storage tanks saturated incoherent materials center was the home and small at Nikishki, to crack concrete with resultant lateral spreading hand cannery of Joe Clark at a block structures, to topple some towards free faces. In Girdwood, bedrock site on Fairmont Island chimneys, and to knock items from Hope, Portage, and other coastal just 12 miles from the instrumen- shelves in almost all stores and communitiss, additional damage tal center of the earthquake. Yet homes. Similar minor damage was resulted from inundation due to G48 ALASKA EARTHQUAIUC, MARCH 2'7, 19.64 surficial subsidence that amom- sustained at smller coastal com- clearly generated by subaqueous panied compaction and lateral munities elsewhere along the coast slides of unconsolidated deposits, spreading. The upper limit of Mw- of the Kenai Peninsula and on the also caused most of the damage at calli intensities due to seismic Kodiak group of islands. the ports of Valdez (Coulter and shaking effects on pple and Tectonic uplift of the land, most Migliaccio, 1966), Whittier (Ka- struotures in areas of saturated un- notably in the eastern and south- chadoorian, 1965), and Seward consolidated deposik ranged be- ern parts of Prince William Sound (Lemke, 196'0, and at places along tween XI11 and X. and offshore islands of the Conti- the shore of Kenai Lake (McCul- Translatory block slides, such as nental Shelf, necessitated dredg- loch, 1966). the ones at Anchorage (Hansen, ing of harbors and waterways at Subaqueous slides and related 1965) or subaqueous slides of the Cordova and Tatitlek and length- destructive lmal waves are known type that damaged the Homer Spit ening of the pier at Cape Hinch- or inferred to have occurred at (Waller, 1966a), Whittier (Kwh- inbrook Light Station. Uplift also looalities along lthe shores of adoorim, 1965), Valdez (Coulter reduced the usefulness of docks Prince William ,Sound, hhe south- and Migliaccio, 1966), Lawing and piers ak most smaller commu- ern Kenai \Peninsula, and Kenai ( McCulloch, 1966), and Seward nities throughout the affected Lake (pl. 2). Another slide de- (Lemke, 1967), did not cause di- areas. stroyed the boat harbor at Homer rect damage at any of the commu- The most important and disas- Spit in Kachemak Bay, but it was nities discussed here. Waves gen- trous indirect effect of the vertical accompanied by only reldtively erated by subaqueous slides, how- tectonic displacements was the minor water disturbances ( Waller, ever, probably were the cause of generation of a train of destruc- 1966a). At Seward, Whittier, damage and loss of at least one life tive seismic sea waves. Of the com- Valdez, and along the shore of at Anderson Bay in western Val- munities described here, Seldovia, Kenai Lake, subaqueous slides car- dez Arm and may have caused Whidbey Bay, Puget Bay, the ried away segments of the water- some of the wave damage else- Cordova area, and Cape Saint fronts, and waves generated by the where in Prince William Sound. Elias sustained light to moderate moving slide masses compounded property losses and two casualties the damage. The sequence of VE,RTICAL TECTONIC from these waves. Most of the events reported by eyewitnesses at DISPLACEMENTS AND damage from seismic sea waves in Seward and Thumb Cove in Res- S,EISWC SE,A WAVES Alaska, however, was to the vari- urrection Bay, at Lawing on ous communities along the sea- Vertical displammmts of the Kenai Lake, and at Valdez clearly land relative to sea level during ward coast of the ~odiakgroup demonstrate (1) the instability of the earthquake caused extensive of islands (Kachadoorian and saturated unconsolidated daposits long-term damage ah several Plafker, 1967) and at Seward on steep slopes under seismic shock coastal communities described in (Lemke, 1967). and (2) the abiliity of mch slides this report as well as in the Kodiak to generake destruotive waves. group of islands (Kwhadwrian LOCAL WAVES AND Shoreline damage that occurred and Plafker, 1967), Whittier SUBAQUE,OUS SLIDES along uninhabicted segments of the (Kachadoorian, 1965), Homer Major damage and casualties to shore of Kenai Lake, Aialik B'ay, (Waller, 1966a), and Seward coastal communities resulted from Kings Bay, Blackstone Bay, and (Lemke, 1967). Teotonic subsi- violent local waves that struck wedern Vddez Arm (pl. 2) is dence of 5 to 6 feet, augmented by during or immediately after the comparable in all major rwpects surficial subsidence of unconsoli- earthquake at numerous localities to that which accompanied known dated deposits, led to relocation or in Prince William Sound, Resur- iuhqueous slides. At these lacali- rebuilding of parts of Hope, Gird- rection Bay, and Aialik Bay. Of mood, ni~dPortage and the trans- ties, subaqueous sliding is sug- lmrtation routes near these com- the communities described here, gested by one or more of the fol- munities. At Selclovia, 3 feet of local waves ~t-erethe main cause lo\ving lines of evidence: (1) tectonic subsidence necessitated a of destruction at Anderson Ray, pattern of wave damage that costly conlpensating program of Chenega, Port Oceanic, Port Nel- radiatm outward from the vicinity raising \vaterfront installations. lie Juan, Nowell Point, Perry Is- of deltaic or morainal deposits, Considerable damage froin vary- land, Sawniill Hay, and Latouche. (2) subaerial scarps or over- ing amounts of subsidence was also Comparable waves, some of them steepened nearshore slopes on the EFFECTS ON VARIOUS COMMUNITIES unconsolidated deposits, and (3) complexes Ithat may have been Prince William Sound region, as cliff erences Mween pre- and post- perched along fiord wa811s. How- iildicr\ited by retriangulation &aka, earthquake bathymetry indicative ever, wave damage )atsome of these increases progressively from about of removal of material from the communities, such as Sawmill Bay 20 feet near IVhiktier in hhe north- upper portion of deltas or mo- and Port Oceanic, 11-hich are situ- ern ,partof ,the sound to more than liaines and of deposition of slide ated in shallo\\y embayments or 60 feet near Sa~\-n~illBny and La- debris in deeper water. Only the semienclosed basins, are difficulk to touche in the southern part. It is wave damage ah Anderson Bay attribute to such #an origin. Pur- suggested that the horizontal and adjmmk shorelines in we&- thermore, although regional kilt, movements, if they occurred east em Valdez Am, of the comrnuni- submarine faulting, or seismic enough, may have ,been either the ties discussed in this report, can vibl-ratioas may have contributed primary or a coittributing cause to be confidently abtributed primar- to the water disturbaiices, none of loaal waves of unknown origin ily to subaquwus slides on the these ,phenomena ei~theralone or that de~ast~atedsmaller comm~uli- basis of the criteria outlined 'above. in combination could have caused ties land uninhabited shores At ,all other communities where waves as large as those observed. around Prince William Sonnd and local waves were the major cause A ,possible alternative mecha- elsewhere in the earthquake- of dlamage, no subaqueous or nism for at l~x~tsome of the mter affected region. This suggested mi- subaerial slide source for the disturbances is that they #$\-eregen- gin for the waves is coasistent ~~itll waves \v,as identifiable. Conceiv- erated by inential effeots of the (1) their sudden onset during or ably, widespread damage along water bodies as the landmass was immediately after the esrthquake, the shores of steepsided deep fiords tmtonimlly di~placedhorizontally (2) the favorable orientation and such as at Chenega, Point Nowell, beneath them in a relative south- coiQuration of aff mted shore- Port Nellie Juan, and Latouche ward 'to soukheastward direction lines, and (3) their occurrence could ltave been generated by slid- (Plafker, 1969). The magnitude in an t~,re%of large horizontal ing of submarine moraine-outwas11 of such displacements in the displacements.

REFERENCES CITED

Alaska Department of Health and U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 563-E, Field investigations and reconstmc- and Welfare, 1964, Preliminary re- p. El-E28. tion effort : U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. port of earthquake damage to en- Grant, U. S., and Higgins, D. F., 1910, Paper 541,111 p. vironmental health facilities and serv- Reconnaissance of lhe geology and Kachadoorian, Reuben, 1965, Effects of ices in Alaska: Juneau, Alaska mineral resources of Prince William the earthquake of March 27, 1964, at Dept. Health and Welfare, E~nviron- Sound, Alaska : U.S. Geol. Survey Whittier, Alaska : U.S. Geol. Survey mental Health Branch, 46 p. Bull. 443,89 p. Prof. Paper 542-B, p. B1-B21. Coulter, H. W., and afigliaceio, R.R., 1913, Coastal glaciers of Prince 1968, Effects of the Alaska earth- 1966, meets of the earthquake of William Sound and Kenai Peninsula, quake, March 27, 1964, on the Alaska March 27, 1964, at Valdez, Alaska : Alaska : U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 526, highway system: U.S. Geol. Survey U.S. GeoL Survey Prof. Paper 542-C, 75 p. Prof. Paper 5454, p. Cl-C66. p. el-C36. Grantz, Arthur, Kachadoorian, Reuben, Kachadoorian, Reuben, and Plafker, Davis, T. N., and Sanders, N. K., lW0, and Plafker, George, 1964, Alaska's George, 1967, Effects of the earth- Alaska earthquake of July 10, 195%- Good Friday earthquake, March 27, quake of March 27, 1964, on the com- Intensity distribution and field in- ID&&-a preliminary geologic evalu- munities of Kodiak and nearby vestigation of northern epicentral re- ation: U.S. Geol. Survey Circ. 491, islands: U.S. Geol. Surrey Prof. gion: Seismol. Soc. America Bull.. v. 35 11. Paper 542-', 1,. F1-F41. 50, no. 2, p. 221-252. Gutenberg, Beno, 1957, Effects of Lenlke, R. IT., 1967, Effects of the earth- Eckel, E. B., 1967, Effects of the earth- gronncl on earthquake motion : Seis- quake of March 27, 1964, at Semard, quake of March !27, 1964, on air and mol. Soc. Ailierica Bull., v. 47, no. Alaska: 1'3. Geol. Surrey Prof. water transport, commnnications, and 3, 1). 221-250. I'LL~P~.i42-E, 11. El-E43. utilities syrtelns in south-central Hansen, IT. R., 1963, Effeclts: of the I,ogan, 31. H., 1967, JDRects of the earth- Alaska: C.S. Geol. Surrey Prof. earthquake of llarch 27, 1964, at quake of March 27, 1964, on the Paper &B. p. B1-B27. .Inrhorage, Alaska : U.S. Geol. Sur- Eklntna hydroelectric project, An- Ferrians, 0. J., Jr., 1966, Effects of the vey Prof. Paper 342-A, p. A1-A68. chorage, Alaska, with rz section on earthquake of March 27, 1964, in the Hansen, W. R., and othei-s, 19f56, The Telerision exanlination of earth- Copper River Basin area, Alaska: Alaska earthquake March 27, 1964 : quake damage to underground com- G50 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 19164

munication and electrical systems in Survey Prof. Papes WD, p. D1- Trainer, F. W., 1960, Geology and Anchorage, by Lynn H. Burton: U.S. DM. ground-water resources of the Mata- Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 545-A, p. Plafker, George, and Mayo, L. R., 1965, nuska Valley agricultural area, Alas- A1-AN. Tectonic deformation, subaqueous ka: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply McCulloch, D. S., 1966, Slide-induced slides, and destructive waves as- Paper 1494,116 p. waves, seiching, and ground fractur- sociated with the Alaskan March 27, Van .Darn, W. G., 1964, Source mech- ing caused by the earthquake of 1964, earthquake-an interim geo- ansim of the tsunami of March 28, March 27, 1964, at Kenai Lake, Alas- logic evaluation : U.S. Geol. Survey 1964, in Alaska: Coastal Eng. Conf., ka: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper open-file report, 21 p. 9th, Lisbon, 1964, Prw., p. 166-190. 543-A, p. A1-841. Post, Austin, 1967, Effects of the March Varnes, D. J., 1958, Landslide types McCulloch, D. S., and Bonilla, M. G., 1964 Alaska earthquake on glaciers : and processes, in Eckel, E. B., ed., 1968, Effects of the Alaskan earth- U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper WD, Landslides and engineering : Natl. quake, March 27, 1964, on The Alas- p. Dl-D42. Acad. Sci.-Naa. Research Council ka Railroad : U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Reimnitz, Erk, and Marshall, N. F., Pub. 544, Highway Research Board Paper 545-D. (In press.) 1965, Effects of the Alaska earth- Spec. Rept. 29, p. 20-47. Orth, D. J., 1967, Dictionary of Alaska quake and tsunami, on recent deltaic Waller, R. M., 1966a, Effects of the place names: U.S. Geol. Survey sediments : Jour. Geophys. Research, earthquake of March 27, 1964, in the Prof. Paper 567,1084 p. v. 70, no. 10, p. 2363-2376. Homer area, Alaska, with a sectiolt Plafker, George, 1967, Surface faults Rinne, J. E., 1967, Oil storage tanks, in on Beach changes on Homer Spit, by on Montague Island associated with TVood, E'. J., ed., Research studies: K. TV. Stanley: U.S. Geol. Survey the 1!364 Alaska earthquake: U.S. Seismology and marine geology, pt. Prof. Paper 542-D, p. Dl-D28. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 543-G, p. d., Engineering seismology, v. 2 of 1966b, Effects of the March 1964 GI-G42. The Prince William Sound, AIaska, Alaska earthquake on the hydrology ----I-, Tectonics of the 1964 earthquake of 1% and aftershocks : of southcentral Alaska : U.S. Geol. Alaska earthquake: U.S. Geol. Sur- U.S. Coast and Geod. Survey Pub. Survey Prof. Paper 544-A, p. A1-A28. vey Prof. Paper 543-1, p. 11-174. 10-3, p. 245-252. 196&, Effects of the March 1% Plafker, George, and Kachadoorian, Tarr, R. S., and Martin, Lawrence, Reuben, 1966, Geologic effects of the 1912, The earthquake at Yakutat Bay, Alaska earthquake on the hydrology March 1%4 earthquake and associ- Alaska, in September 1899, with a of the Anchorage area, Alaska : U.S. ated sleismic sea waves on Kodiak and preface by G. K. Gilbe,rt: U.S. Gwl. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 544-B, p. nearby islands, Alaska : U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 69, 135 p. B1-B18. The Alaska Earthquake March 27,1964: Effects on Communities

This volume was published as separate chapters A-G

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 542 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WALTER J. HICKEL, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director CONTENTS

[Lettam designate the separately pnbWcb~terel (A) Effects of the earthquake of March 27, 1964, at Akhorage, Alaska, by Wallace R. Hansen. (B) EffeetS of the earthquake of March 27,1964,at Whittier, Alaska, by Reuben Kachadoorian. ((3) MTeetS of the earthquake of March 27, 1964, at Valdez, alaaka, by Henry W. Conlter and Ralph R. Migliaccio. (D) Effects of the earthquake of March 27,1964,in the Homer area, by Roger M. Waller, with a section on Beach changes on Homer Spit, by Kirk W. Stanley. (E) Effects of the earthquake of March 27,1964,at Seward, Alaska, by Richard W. Lemke. (I?) M&s of the earthquake of March 27,1964, on the communities of Kodiak and nearby islands, by Reuben Kachahrian and George Plat%er. (G) Effects of the earthquake of March 2'7, 1964, on various commnnities, by George PWer, Reuben Kachadoorian, Edwin B. Eckel, and Lawrence R. Mayo.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 -312-357