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The Great Quake
The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet | Henry Fountain
13 posts | 10 read | 25 to read
In the tradition of Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in recorded history in North America--the 1964 Alaskan earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and obliterated the coastal village of Chenega--and the scientist sent to look for geological clues to explain the dynamics of earthquakes, who helped to confirm the then controversial theory of plate tectonics. On March 27, 1964, at 5:36 p.m., the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America--and the second biggest ever in the world, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale--struck Alaska, devastating coastal towns and villages and killing more than 130 people in what was then a relatively sparsely populated region. In a riveting tale about the almost unimaginable brute force of nature, New York Times science journalist Henry Fountain, in his first trade book, re-creates the lives of the villagers and townspeople living in Chenega, Anchorage, and Valdez; describes the sheer beauty of the geology of the region, with its towering peaks and 20-mile-long glaciers; and reveals the impact of the quake on the towns, the buildings, and the lives of the inhabitants. George Plafker, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey with years of experience scouring the Alaskan wilderness, is asked to investigate the Prince William Sound region in the aftermath of the quake, to better understand its origins. His work confirmed the then controversial theory of plate tectonics that explained how and why such deadly quakes occur, and how we can plan for the next one.
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review
rwmg
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Pickpick

The scientific part of the book was well done, mainly focussed on George Plafker and his work in geology and, after the quake, seismology. The human interest part of the book suffered from being too comprehensive, trying to cover the stories of all of the dead and injured in several chapters before the quake occurred and then during and after the quake in later chapters with the result that they all blurred together.

Low pick/high so-so

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rwmg
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I plan to finish “The Great Quake“ and continue with “Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache“. Because I want to listen to the music as well, I'll probably only read it at home, so if I'm going out I will read “Under the Eagle“

#WeekendReading
@Andrew65

Andrew65 Have a good weekend of reading. I‘m wanting to read that series by Simon Scarrow. 3y
rwmg @Andrew65 This one has been sitting on my virtual TBR shelf for a very long time 3y
Andrew65 @rwmg Mine too! 3y
20 likes3 comments
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rwmg
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rwmg
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Riding shotgun beneath the clouds in a rattling De Havilland Otter, George Plafker gazed down upon an Alaska he‘d never seen before.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

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Eggs
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It wasn't until the aftermath of the great Alaskan earthquake of 1964 that the theory of plate tectonics began to be universally accepted. Although this book details the human aspect of this tragedy, the scientific aspect is amazingly told. I was particularly enthralled with related sciences like paleomagnetism (study of magnetic pole reversals due to sea floor spreading). Climate, polarity and geology are interconnected.

Kimberlone This photo is of 4th Avenue, the Main Street in downtown Anchorage. One side dropped about six feet, the brand new JC Penney building was completely destroyed, and many of the houses in the residential neighborhood along the waterfront nearby slid into the ocean 7y
LitLogophile I was also enthralled! 7y
Eggs @LitLogophile 😊😊 7y
See All 6 Comments
Eggs @Kimberlone Correct! Are you an Alaskan? 7y
Kimberlone @Eggs yep! Lived there my whole life, although I‘m not old enough to have been around for the ‘64 earthquake. The town I grew up in, Seward, had its entire boat harbor washed away in the tsunami. There are so many interesting stories about the earthquake! 7y
Eggs @Kimberlone I recall this image being in our "Weekly Reader" in elementary school; it had an impact on me as the first newsphoto I'd ever seen of an earthquake 7y
91 likes5 stack adds6 comments
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Hooked_on_books
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The Great Quake tells the fascinating story of the 1964 Alaska earthquake in a mixture of history, science, and narrative nonfiction. The strongest earthquake to hit North America in recorded history, the study of the quake taught us about quakes, plate tectonics, and tsunamis. This book was phenomenal—I devoured it in one sitting.

Cinfhen Love NF when done right 7y
Mdargusch Sounds fascinating! Great review! 7y
46 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 4! Just released. In the tradition of Erik Larson's "Isaac's Storm", Alaska's 1964 earthquake was the continent's most powerful, measuring 9.2, and was felt far, far away. It decimated the Alaskan coast, killing over 100. He re-creates the villagers' lives and describes the area's geology. He follows the investigations of George Pflaker, the man who came up with the plate tectonics theory. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook ?

keithmalek I bailed on this one. However, I just read "Quakeland " by Kathryn Miles. Much better. 7y
65 likes9 stack adds1 comment
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Librarybelle
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Very recently published in the US, and one on my radar to read this year...the big Alaska earthquake in 1964 changed the understanding of geology. Also helps that it's compared to Erik Larson's writing style (I'm a Larson fan). #mothernature #beastsgiveawaychallenge

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LitLogophile
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Loved this one because it was so technical and informative. It tells the whole story of the great Alaskan earthquake: what happened geologically, what happened to the victims, who researched it, the state of the field before the quake. The writing was also very interesting and descriptive, successfully illustrating for the reader the magnitude of this thing. Really great 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

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LitLogophile
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This #arc is excellent so far. Lots of geology/back story about Alaska's great earthquake, and some funny anecdotes like this one 😂

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Suzze
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Pickpick

Good Friday, 1964. One of the biggest earthquakes ever. Lots of Geology and Geophysics facts, but an interesting read. My maid of honor lived in Anchorage and experienced this quake. Scary stuff.

Lauren_reading I saw all the pictures and places when I went on a tour last summer! Crazy scary 7y
brilliantglow This is the first I've heard or seen anything about this. Natural disasters are so scary. 7y
Betty Saw effects of this quake several days ago while driving from Anchorage to Seward 7y
Suzze @Betty Wow! 50 years later! 7y
78 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Suzze
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Reading this right now, about the massive Good Friday 1964 Alaskan earthquake. The girl who was my matron of honor was from Alaska and lived through this earthquake. The stories she told about it were hair raising. So far, there is a LOT of geology in the book (my son happens to be a geologist, I think I'll buy him a finished copy).

Hooked_on_books Sounds good! I live on the north Oregon coast and there are still stories around here of the (small) tsunami triggered by that quake that rolled into Seaside and caused some problems. I look forward to reading this one! 7y
68 likes2 stack adds1 comment