On March 27 , 1964 , the massive Good Friday earthquake killed 133 people and destroyed several villages and portions of large coastal communities , mainly by the resultant tsunamis and landslides . It was the second-most-powerful earthquake in the recorded history of the world , with a moment magnitude of 9.2 . It was over one thousand times more powerful than the 1989 San Francisco earthquake . The time of day ( 5:36 pm ) , time of year and location of the epicenter were all cited as factors in potentially sparing thousands of lives , particularly in Anchorage
Good Friday earthquake
1964 Alaska earthquake
Alaska