Science lecture to examine 2018 Anchorage Earthquake

February 19, 2020

University Relations

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Matt Gardine will present “Alaska Aftershocks: The 2018 Anchorage Earthquake.” The talk is part of the 2020 Science for Alaska Lecture Series, sponsored by the Geophysical Institute and presented Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m. at Raven Landing, 1222 Cowles St. The next and final discussion in the series will focus on engaging in citizen science with the aurora.

On the morning of Nov. 30, 2018, residents of Southcentral Alaska experienced the strongest shaking since the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964. The magnitude 7.1 Anchorage earthquake lasted less than a minute, but the economic and societal impacts will resonate for years. Alaska has a long history of strong earthquakes — why was this particular one remarkable? Was it “the next big one?” No, but why not? What does earthquake monitoring in the state look like now, and what might the future hold? We’ll talk about the science of the Anchorage earthquake, the long- and short-term effects, and why you should focus on more than an earthquake’s magnitude.

For more information, visit the Science for Alaska Lecture Series website. Talks are free and open to the public. All ages are encouraged to attend.