Henry Fountain

This book tells the true story of “Alaska’s Good Friday Earthquake,” registered at 9.2 magnitude on the Richter scale, that took place on March 27, 1964. It also includes the history of continental drift and plate tectonics, as well as minibiographies of scientists such as Alfred Wegener, originator of the continental drift theory, and George Plafker, who arrived on the scene the day after the Alaskan quake.

The first half focuses on the scientific topics and the second on the earthquake itself. Once it gets to the earthquake, it provides a vivid, detailed, and riveting account of the people who survived and some who did not – what they were doing, what they felt, and what ultimately happened to them. This portion is based on interviews. The majority of the 130 deaths were caused by the massive waves that were generated, and traveled south into Washington, Oregon, and California. It obliterated two Alaskan towns.

This was the biggest earthquake in North America has experienced and the second largest in the world. The book should appeal to readers who are interested in earth science, geology, natural disasters, or those interested in this specific enormous quake.
… (meer)

The story of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska, said to have been the strongest earthquake ever to strike North America, and the support it gave for the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics.

The scientific part of the book was well done, mainly focussed on George Plafker and his work in geology and, after the quake, seismology. The human interest part of the book suffered from being too comprehensive, trying to cover the stories of all of the dead and injured in several chapters before the quake occurred and then during and after the quake in later chapters with the result that they all blurred together.… (meer)

The Great Quake details the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 in Alaska - the largest recorded earthquake in North America. It's filled with stories of how the quake impacted the people of Alaska, and also follows a geologist who works to uncover the mechanics and the cause of the quake. His work helped advance our knowledge of plate tectonics and to solidify it as the prevailing theory among geoscientists.

The book started a bit slowly - after the first chapter I wasn't quite sure where the author would take the story - but then he started telling the stories of the people of Alaska who were impacted by the quake and I was hooked. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The author, Henry Fountain, is an NYT science journalist, and I have to admit I hadn't heard of him before picking up this book, but I was very impressed with his writing style and how he told this story. Erik Larson couldn't have done better.

If you are a fan of history / history of science, or true disaster stories, then I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐.… (meer)