Recording #5: Sorry. Your web browser doesn’t support the html5 audio tag.

Earthquake Data

Location and/or name: 1964 Alaska earthquake (also referred to as the “Good Friday earthquake” and “Prince William Sound earthquake” Date and time: 27 March 1964, 5:36:13.0 p.m. AST Epicenter: 61.0°N, 147.8°W Magnitude: 8.4 MMI at site: VIII (?) Literature: Voluminous literature, but papers having particular relevant to the recording are: “Introduction to the Earthquake Engineering of the 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, Earthquake”, Karl V. Steinbrugge, in The Prince William Sound Earthquake of 1964 and Aftershocks, Volume II Part A, Environmental Sciences Services Administration (1967). See pp. 4–5 and 13–14. “Seismological Background for Engineering Studies of the Earthquake”, Donald F. Hudson and William K. Cloud, in The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964: Engineering, National Academy of Sciences (1973). See particularly pp. 32–32.

Recording Information

Location of recording: Blueberry Road near the northeast corner of Northern Lights Boulevard, Anchorage, Alaska Previous publication: Earthquake, Alaska, 7″, 33.3 rpm record, produced by Bob Pate, Alaskan Artifacts Enterprise. The Prince William Sound, Alaska, Earthquake of 1964 and Aftershocks, 7″, 33.3 rpm record on flexible vinyl, included as an appendix in a pocket in the rear of Volume II Part A of the publication of the same name (see “Literature”, above).

Commentary: The recording was made by Mr. Robert A. Pate in his small one-story wood-frame dwelling in a region where no landsliding or other geological effects were present. Within 5 seconds, at most, after Mr. Pate felt the earthquake, he began dictating his thoughts and reactions into the recorder. About 1 minute after the start of the earthquake, Mr. Pate stated that the earthquake had not shown signs of stopping yet. Shortly thereafter he stated that he was going to put the television set on the floor; he had to crawl because he could not walk. About 1 minute and 10 seconds after the start of the recording, Mr. Pate stated that the house was still shaking so much that he wondered if he shouldn’t go outside. One and one-half minutes after the recording began, the noise level substantially decreased; at that time Mr. Pate seemed to sense that the worst was over. Three minutes after the start, he positively stated that the ground was still shaking, but it seems from his attitude that the shaking had greatly diminished. The dwelling was undamaged, and only three or four dishes fell from kitchen cabinets, although the doors had swung open.

Acknowledgments: Mr. Robert Pate of radio station KHAR supplied a copy of the recording plus background information.