EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE TO ANCHORAGE AREA UTILITIES, MARCH, 1964
Abstract
The report describes the nature of damage suffered by utilities such as power, gas and water and, where possible, reviews the sequence of events which led to their recovery on a temporary basis. The damage suffered by the utilities is related to the type of shock waves travelling through the soil and the nature of the soil itself. Much of the soil under Anchorage is Bootlegger Cove clay and silt which has very poor shear strength, and the intense shock of this quake was sufficient in some areas to cause large landslides. Utilities in such areas were almost completely destroyed. Where the soil held firm the rolling motion mentioned previously did not have serious effects on mechanical equipment at or near the surface of the earth, however tall structures swayed considerably in all directions resulting in serious damage to fans, motors and piping in the upper floors of some buildings. A comparison between earthquakes and atomic bombs with respect to energy released is treated briefly in the Appendix.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 26, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0602943
Entities
People
- J. M. Stephenson
Organizations
- Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center