Earthquake in Yakutat Bay 1899

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The earthquakes in Yakutat Bay in 1899 occurred in the vicinity of Yakutat Bay between September 4th and 10th . The main earthquake on September 10th was preceded by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the same day at 17:04 UTC . The main quake occurred at 21:41 UTC with a magnitude of 8.2. It was felt within a radius of 400 km and caused great changes in the earth's surface .

Procedure and effects

The September 10 earthquake lasted 90 seconds. The region affected by the main earthquake on September 10th was almost uninhabited, so it could not be determined how far the earthquake could be felt. Gold prospectors at Disenchantment Bay experienced over 50 impacts on September 10, two of which were very strong. Five tremors were recorded approximately 300 km northeast of the Yukon River and several tremors were recorded in the southeast at Juneau and Skagway . Strong aftershocks continued to occur for months.

A tsunami 10.6 m high occurred in Yakutat Bay and adjacent locations along the Alaskan coast.

Topographical impact

American geologists did not survey the area until six years after the earthquake, but the topographical changes were evident. A maximum uplift of 14.5 meters occurred on the west coast of Disenchantment Bay; those of five meters and more were found in a large area. Dead barnacles and other marine animals that had been lifted from the water testified to the geological changes long after this time. In some places the ground subsided by up to two meters.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Significant Earthquake Database. Database with earthquakes since 2150 BC Chr., National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder (Colorado) (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 60 ° 0 ′  N , 140 ° 0 ′  W