Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: glacier; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.434.1141; http://www.wsspc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ASHSC_2013_annual_report.pdf

Example of a large landslide triggered by an earthquake. There were no people or man-made structures in the path of this landslide, so there were no impacts except to the mass balance of Sherman Glacier, about 20 miles east of Cordova, Alaska. This large rock-slide avalanche was triggered by the magnitude 9.2 great Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964. The rock-slide deposit was about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) long, 4 km (2.5 mi) wide, 5 m (16 ft) thick, and contained about 25 million cubic meters (883 million cubic feet) of rock debris. USGS photograph taken August 25, 1965. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This annual report to the Governor and Legislature from the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission (ASHSC) reiterates the priority issues and goals of the Commission and identifies its 2012 accomplishments. The report updates the history and status of the Commission, identifies the current membership, lists the accomplishments to date, describes various committee functions, and presents Commission Policy Recommendations to improve seismic safety in Alaska. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has estimated that with the present infrastructure and policies, Alaska will have the second highest average annualized earthquake-loss ratio (ratio of annualized value of loss or damage, to the replacement cost of the building inventory) in the country. Reducing these losses requires public commitment to earthquake-conscious siting, design, and construction. The