You are browsing the archive for earthquake Archives - The Field.
August 12, 2021
The closest people to an 8.2 earthquake
What if the country’s largest earthquake in the last half century happened as you were getting ready for bed in the only cabin on a tiny island in the North Pacific. What if the epicenter was just 50 miles away?
April 16, 2021
Listening to avalanches half a state away
High on the broken pyramid of Iliamna Volcano, rotten rock held in place by volcano-warmed ice sometimes loses its grip. Several times over the years, rock-and-ice avalanches have blasted down Iliamna at 150 miles per hour. Left behind on the mountain’s face is a dirty, five-mile scar, in the same place as the last one.
March 4, 2021
Finding the great earthquake of 1900
The largest earthquake on the planet for the year 1900 happened somewhere near Kodiak, Alaska, on Oct. 9. Scientists know it was big, but how big? And could it happen again?
October 15, 2020
Normal fault, reverse fault, or both?
The new model, whose color scheme is admittedly quite shocking (think Pepto-Bismol bottle), is shown… The interesting fault is at the center of the image. The fault is traced in black in the lower image, with arrows indicating movement sense.
July 24, 2020
Earthquake adds missing piece to puzzle
Late in the evening of July 21, 2020, State Seismologist Michael West heard a text alarm. His phone informed him of a large earthquake beneath the ocean, just south of the Alaska Peninsula, about 60 miles southeast of the village of Sand Point. His first thought was that this — the biggest earthquake on the planet so far in 2020 — would cause a devastating tsunami. His second thought was that a longstanding earthquake mystery may have just been solved.
December 18, 2019
The demise of Scotch Cap lighthouse
The earthquake was giant, at least magnitude 8.1. The tsunami that resulted killed 159 people in Hawaii, drowned a swimmer in Santa Cruz, banged up fishing boats in Chile and wrecked a hut on Antarctica. The curve of the Aleutians protected much of Alaska, but the five men at Scotch Cap had no chance.
February 2, 2018
Largest earthquake on the planet, until proven otherwise
What’s this? Another aftershock? That’s hundreds now, each more faint than the last…
October 12, 2017
Exploring Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards Along the Pacific Northwest Coast
Can scientists determine how likely we are to have a tsunami along different parts of the PNW Coast and how big it would be? What types of things affect whether an earthquake is likely to cause a large tsunami? (Or none at all?)
January 31, 2017
Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh
After a night in Dhaka, our group temporarily split up. Chris and Dan headed to Khulna in the SW at 4 am to avoid the hartal (general strike) that was planned for 6am-2pm. Liz and I stayed in Dhaka for a day.
January 27, 2017
Sleuthing the site of a century-old earthquake
The second-largest earthquake on the planet in 1904 happened somewhere in Alaska. It could have been St. Michael, Rampart, Fairbanks, Coldfoot or a place called Sunrise on the Kenai Peninsula. People felt the magnitude 7.3 at each place.
