THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964: EFFECTS ON TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATIONS, AND UTILITIES Effects of the Earthquake Of March 27,1964, on Air and Water Transport, Communications, and Utilities Systems In South-Central Alaska By EDWIN B. ECKEL A description of the disruption and damage that all systems sustained from seismic wibrations and tectonic changes and from the slides, waves, and fires caused by the earthquake GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 545-B UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretarg GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1967 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 35 cents (paper cover) THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKE SERIES Tho U.S. Geological Survey is publishing the results of its investigations of the Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964-, in a series of six professional papers. Professional Paper 545 describes the effects of the earthquake on trans- portation, communications, and utilities. Other professional papers describe the effects on communities, regions, and the hydrologic regimen; and one gives the history of the field investigations and reconstruction effort. CONTENTS Communications and utilities- Continued Page Power systems in Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley Anchorage------------------ and on the Kenai Penin- Cordova - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - sula--------------------- Kodiak Naval Station- - - - --- Petroleum and natural gas fa- Kenai Peninsula ------- --_--- cilities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seward--------------------- Seldovia---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Anchorage--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Whittier- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kodiak and Kodiak Naval Sta- Cordova - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Other. airports-- ------------ tion--------------------- Kodiak-------------------- Shipping - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seward ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Valdez--------------------- Effect on economic pattern - - - Valdez--------------------- Navigation aids ------------- Communications and utilities - - Whittier- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Anchorage------------------ Communications systems- - - - - References cited ----------- ---- ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURES- Page 1. Map of south-central Alaska, showing where principal ports, airports, and utility systems were damaged by the earthquake- _ _-_---------- ---- -------- ------- 2-16. Photographs: 2. Control tower at Anchorage International Airport, collapsed by the earthquake- 3. New control tower at Anchorage International Airport ---_----___---------- 4. Airstrip at Seldovia, under repair -----____ ......................... -- ---- 5. Anchorage municipal wharf and part of the port of Anchorage- ---__--- - -- -- 6. Cordova Harbor as it appeared in February 1965.......................... 7. New small-boat basin on Homer Spit- --------__-_----------------------- 8. New small-boat basin and railroad dock at Seward ........................ 9. Rebuilt Seldovia port at low tide in March 1965- ......................... 10. Valdez, old and new sites----------- ................................ ---- 11. Partly completed port facilities at new town of Valdez- .................... 12. Tipped power poles, Turnagain Arm-- _ _ _ _ _ - - _ - _ - _ _ _ _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13. Wrecked power poles, Turnagain Arm- - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - - _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14. Gas pipes, ruptured in tension and compression- ----- ------------------- - - 15. Gas main broken by landslide in Anchorage- - - -- -___-------------- ------ - 16. Sewardls new standby generating plant- -----_----------..---------------- 1.-South-central Alaska, showing main power (short-dashed) and gas-transmission (solid) lines and principal communities whose ports, airports, or utility systems were damaged by the earthquake. Land to left of zero land level change line was generally lowered; land to right of line was raised. VI THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964: EFFECTS ON TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATIONS, AND UTILITIES EFFECTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE OF MARCH 27, 1964, ON AIR AND WATER TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS, AND UTILITIES SYSTEMS By Edwin B. Eckel ABSTRACT The earthquake of March 27, 1964, fully 90 percent of its requirements- remarkably short times. Communica- wrecked or severely hampered all forms mostly by water-and whose largest tions systems were silenced almost ev- of transportation, all utilities, and all single industry is fishing. Except for erywhere by loss of power or by downed communications systems over a very those of Anchorage, all port facilities lines; their place was quickly taken by large part of south-central Alaska. Ef- in the earthquake-affected area were de- a patchwork of self-powered radio trans- fects on air transportation were minor stroyed or made inoperable by subma- mitters. A complex power-generating as compared to those on the water, rine slides, waves, tectonic uplift, and system that served much of the stricken highway, and railroad transport sys- fire. No large vessels were lost, but area from steam, diesel, and hydro- tems. A few planes were damaged or more than 200 smaller ones (mostly generating plants was disrupted in many wrecked by seismic vibration or by crab or salmon boats) were lost or se- places by vibration damage to equip- flooding. Numerous airport facilities verely damaged. Navigation aids were ment and by broken transmission lines. were damaged by vibration or by sec- dedtroyed, and hitherto well-known wa Landslides in Anchorage broke gas-dis- ondary effects of the earthquake, nota- terways were greatly altered by uplift tribution lines in many places, but the bly seismic sea and landslide-generated or subsidence. All these effects wrought main transmission line from the Kenai waves, tectonic subsidence, and com- far-reaching changes in the shipping Peninsula was virtually undamaged. paction. Nearly all air facilities were economy of Alaska, many of them to Petroleum supplies were disrupted, prin- partly or wholly operational within a it betterment. cipally by breakage or loss of storage few hours after the earthquake. Virtually all utilities and communi- tanks caused by seismic vibration, The earthquake inflicted enormous cations in south-central Alaska were slides, waves, and fire. Water-supply damage on the shipping industry, which damaged or wrecked by the earthquake, and sewer lines were also broken in is indispensable to a State that imports but temporary repairs were effected in many towns. INTRODUCTION The earthquake of March 27, scribed in detail by Waller (1966a, ized here. The principal places 1964, wrecked or severely ham- b). The earthquake damage to affected are shown on figure 1. pered all forms of transportation, one of the chief sources of electric The report is necessarily a syn- all utilities, and all communica- power in the Anchorage area- thesis of information collected and tions systems over a very large the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's reported by others in the course part of south-central Alaska. Eklutna Hydroelectric Project- of investigating various regional The relationship of geology to is described by Logan (1967), and or topical phases of the earth- the earthquake's effects on the a novel method of tracing breaks quake story; most of these sources highway and railroad systems in underground utility lines by are listed in the bibliography. was studied in detail by Reuben means of a portable television In addition, several of the writ- Kachadoorian and by D. S. Mc- camera is described by Burton er's colleagues, particularly Reu- Culloch and M. G. Bonilla, re- (in Logan, 1967). spectively, and their findings will In order to complete the pic- ben Kachadoorian and George be reported separately in this ture of the earthquake's effects Plafker, have contributed many series. Similarly, effects on wa- on the works of man, its effects pieces of information; this com- ter supplies, from both surface on air and water transport and pilation would have been far less and underground sources, are de- on utilities are briefly summar- complete without their help. B1 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 27, 1964 AIR TRANSPORT The earthquake's effects on air commercial air capability, Alaska fixed objects; at least one plane transportation were minor as com- has one aircraft for each 156 was badly damaged by water pared to those on the water, people; one person in every 55 immersion on a ramp at the highway, and railroad transport is a licensed pilot. Kodiak Naval Station, one mas systems. This minor damage was The few planes that were air- destroyed at Kodiak, and several doubly fortunate, for the earth- borne at the moment the earth- small planes were wrecked by quake catastrophe itself made quake struck were of course not waves at Seward. immediate massive airlifts essen- damaged, though some had com- Damages to airport facilities tial. Moreover, air transport of munications difficulties and some mere caused in part bx earthquake people and goods is much more were diverted to other airports. vibrations, in part by secondary important in Alaska than else- Planes on the ground or in hangars effects, notably waves, and in where in the United States. In were damaged by being battered part by tectonic subsidence and addition to the great military and against each other or against compaction. Numerous buildings 2.-Control tom-er at Anchorage International Airport, collapsed