In 1964, the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America rocked Alaska with 200,000 megatons of concentrated might, the equivalent of 2,000 nuclear bombs. Almost 3,000 miles away in Texas, water sloshed out of swimming pools. A street in Anchorage fell twenty feet. The quake devastated 24,000 square miles of wilderness, much of it glaciated. And what effect did all this might have on Alaska's glaciers? None.
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."
