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Alaska Earthquake of 1964

Explore episode Jul 2, 2026
Science
Seiche Waves Sank Boats in the Gulf of Mexico

Alaska Earthquake of 1964 · Jul 2, 2026 Science

Water level changes from the 1964 Alaska earthquake were registered across every US state except Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware. Seiche waves reached Australia and South Africa — and were powerful enough to swamp and sink fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico.

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The Earthquake Strikes: A Region Lurches 60 Feet in Seconds

At 8:17 · chapter starts 6:40

At 5:36 PM on March 27, 1964, the Good Friday Earthquake began — and for those in its path, it didn't stop for roughly 4 full minutes. Chuck and Josh describe the almost incomprehensible physical scale: an area measuring 500 miles by 125 miles lurched forward an estimated 30 to 60 feet nearly simultaneously. That chunk of Earth encompassed Anchorage, Valdez, Seward, and dozens of smaller communities. Josh emphasises the psychological terror of four minutes at 9.2 magnitude — long enough for initial panic to give way to the dawning realisation that this is not stopping. Buildings that might survive a 30-second quake simply cannot withstand four minutes of sustained violent movement. The land itself was transformed, and this is only the beginning of what the earthquake would do.

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