‘Folks in Alaska should take this seriously.’ Anchorage not safe from tsunamis, study finds

On a cold March evening in 1964, a colossal earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska. At magnitude 9.2, it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America, and it triggered massive tsunamis that killed more than 120 people and leveled communities. But no wave reached Anchorage, the state’s biggest city. Many concluded that nearby geography makes the city immune to tsunamis. A new study published this week by the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS), however, finds Anchorage simply got lucky in 1964 —and might not the next time an earthquake strikes the seismically active region. In a worst-case scenario—another giant rupture in a worse place at a worse time—a 10-meter wave could flood low-lying areas of the city and its critical port for more than 24 hours, according to the study. “I think folks in Alaska should take this seriously,” said Diego Melgar, a tsunami scientist at the University of Oregon not involved in the study. He says other U.S. coastal communities would benefit from such an analysis. “This is exactly what we need to be doing at a national level.” An entrenched public perception holds that Anchorage is protected from tsunamis by the long, shallow Cook Inlet. False alarms have reinforced the sense of invulnerability : In recent years, residents have dutifully heeded tsunami warnings and evacuated, but no wave has struck. After a 2018 evacuation, an Anchorage Daily News...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research