Here’s What a 9.2 Earthquake Can Do to a City

It ’s been fifty years since the Great Alaska Earthquake , the biggest ever to shake the United States . At magnitude 9.2 , it leveled a metropolis and was felt as far aside as Texas . This bewitching short documentary reveals how it also led to a scientific breakthrough .

At the time of Great Alaska Earthquake , the hypothesis of plateful tectonics had only latterly been considered viable . Scientists were still debating it , and seeking more evidence to bolster claims on both side . Ultimately , evidence pile up from this seism injure up being one of the deciding constituent that led to the geology residential district accepting plate plate tectonic theory .

This documentary was created by the US Geological Survey , a group of polite servant scientists who contemplate the earth and the environment . USGS scientists were among the first on the tantrum at in 1964 after the temblor , and it was their data - gathering that helped change the way we understand the major planet ’s crust .