Effects of the March 1964 Alaska earthquake on the hydrology of the Anchorage area, Alaska
Professional Paper
544-B
By: Roger M. Waller
Links
- More information: USGS Index Page
- Document: Report
- Plate: Plate 1 (pdf)
- Larger Work: This publication is Chapter B of The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: effects on hydrologic regimen
- NGMDB Index Page: National Geologic Map Database Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The Anchorage hydrologic system was greatly affected by the seismic shock. Immediate but temporary effects included increased stream discharge, seiche action on lakes, and fluctuations in ground-water levels. Generally, ground-water levels were residually lowered after the initial period of fluctuation. This lowering is attributed either to changes in the discharge zones offshore or to a change in the permeability of the aquifers by seismically induced strain. Water supplies were disrupted temporarily by snowslides on streams and by sanding or turbidity in wells. Salt-water encroachment to wells on Fire Island seems to have increased. The approximate 3.7-foot lowering of land level and the diminished artesian head may permit further salt-water encroachment. Increased pore pressure in the Pleistocene Bootlegger Cove Clay led to liquefaction in silt and sand lenses that contributed to the disastrous bluff landslides. Measurements after the earthquake indicate that most pore pressures are declining, whereas some remain high or are increasing. Subsidence in the area was caused principally by tectonic readjustment, but differential compaction within the Bootlegger Cove Clay contributed to subsidences estimated to be as much as 0.6 foot beneath Anchorage.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Effects of the March 1964 Alaska earthquake on the hydrology of the Anchorage area, Alaska |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 544 |
| Chapter | B |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp544B |
| Year Published | 1966 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Government Printing Office |
| Publisher location | Washington, DC |
| Contributing office(s) | Menlo ParkCalif. Office-Earthquake Science Center |
| Description | Report: 18 p.; 1 Plate: 37.13 x 41.12 inches |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Larger Work Title | The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: Effects on the hydrologic regimen (Professional Paper 544) |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| City | Anchorage |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |