In 1964, Alaska experienced the most powerful earthquake in North America, releasing immense energy comparable to 2,000 nuclear bombs. The quake caused remarkable disturbances even far away in Texas, where water was displaced in swimming pools. In Anchorage, a street sank dramatically by twenty feet, and the earthquake ravaged an extensive area of pristine wilderness, affecting 24,000 square miles, including glaciated regions.

Despite the quake's significant impact on the landscape and infrastructure, it had no noticeable effect on Alaska's glaciers. This intriguing observation underscores the resilience of natural features against catastrophic geological events, as noted in Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail."