After decades of speculation, it is no longer a question of it, but when a tsunami floods portions of Anchorage. New research proves tsunami waves can reach Anchorage following a large mega-thrust earthquake.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - After decades of speculation, it is no longer a question of if, but when a tsunami floods portions of Anchorage. New research proves tsunami waves can reach Anchorage following a large mega-thrust earthquake.Wednesday showing not only how a tsunami could reach the Upper Cook Inlet, including Anchorage, Girdwood, and Eagle River, but also just how far inland the water would go.
More than 50 Alaskan communities have detailed tsunami inundation maps, but until now, Anchorage was not one of the studied areas. Alaska Earthquake Center Tsunami Modeler Elena Suleimani said it’s time for that to change. The team modeled 16 hypothetical earthquakes and found several scenarios where a tsunami inundated sections of Anchorage. The first group of earthquakes is in between Kodiak Island and the Kenai Peninsula under the Kennedy and Stevenson entrances,” said Barrett Salisbury, the Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards program manager for the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
The interactive map below shows the expected inundation zones for Anchorage, Knik Arm, and Turnagain Arm. Click on the map to zoom in to see a closer look at where the tsunami waves are expected to go, and how high the water is expected to be. The areas just west and east of Anchorage have had real-life examples of mega-thrust earthquakes, including the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, which was the largest quake to ever hit the Northern Hemisphere. This quake generated the most destructive tsunami in North America, which killed more than 100 people, until now, it has been widely assumed that the tsunami did not hit Anchorage after the 1964 quake, but this research also proved that’s not the case.
Upper Cook Inlet has the highest tide change in the U.S. The tidal ranges average around 30 feet. That means a tsunami can enter with the tide, making the impacts far greater. Or it can enter against the tide, which would minimize how far the water will travel.
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