Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet

(Paperback)

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Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed narrative about the biggest earthquake in North America in recorded history-the 1964 Alaska earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and the coastal village of Chenega-and the scientist sent to look for geological clues to explain the dynamics of earthquakes, who helped to confirm the then controversial theory of plate tectonics On March 27, 1964, at 5-36 p.m., the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America-and the second biggest ever in the world, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale-struck Alaska, devastating coastal towns and villages and killing more than 130 people in what was then a relatively sparsely populated region. In a riveting tale about the almost unimaginable brute force of nature, New York Times science journalist Henry Fountain re-creates the lives of the villagers and townspeople living in Chenega, Anchorage, and Valdez; describes the sheer beauty of the geology of the region, with its towering peaks and 20-mile-long glaciers; and reveals the impact of the quake on the towns, the buildings, and the lives of the inhabitants. George Plafker, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey with years of experience scouring the Alaskan wilderness, was asked to investigate the Prince William Sound region in the aftermath of the quake, to better understand its origins. His work confirmed the then controversial theory of plate tectonics that explained how and why such deadly quakes occur, and how we can plan for the next one. Contributor Bio(s)

Reviews

"The Great Quake is rich with...revelations; and I felt grateful, even giddy, as I read them. Fountain's book is like a gift box: Open the lid to peek at the treasures of the Earth. I could geek out on such details for a month."
New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice

In his entertaining and enlightening book, The Great Quake, Henry Fountain tells the story of what is sometimes called Alaskas Good Friday Earthquake Fountain sets the scene for an abrupt wake-up call, and his description of how it unfolds is gripping.
San Francisco Chronicle

"As elegant as a Beethoven symphony...journalist Henry Fountain provides us with a forthright and timely reminder of the startling historical consequences of North America's largest known earthquake."
Nature

"The Great Quakeis an elegant showcase of how the progressive work of numerous scientists over timecan be pieced together into an idea that reshapes how we see and understand the planet."
Science News Magazine

"Mr. Fountain weaves a compelling scientific detective story."
The Wall Street Journal

Fountain isnt a showy writer, but theres a fever-dream quality to his account of those five minutes that made the earth ring like a bell that captures the hallucinogenic oddness of a world off-kilter, out-of-joint, suddenly uncooperative. Combinations of words with no earthly business being together occurInterleaving snapshots of a lost world, the primal power of nature and high science, The Great Quake is an outstanding work of nonfiction.
The LA Times

Fountain atmospherically depicts life in the frontier communitiesthat were razed when the earth (rang) like a bell for five minutes. The narrative is haunted by images that live long in the mind, not least a crimson tide of dead red snapper flushed from the roiling depths.
The Oregonian

The detective work involved in reconstructing land movements produced by an earthquake is itself a compelling tale The book engagingly recounts life in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.
Science

Fountain's new book is a powerful lesson that the termsolid ground is one of humanity's greatest illusions The strength of [The Great Quake] is that the veteran science reporter balances anecdotes with a clear explanation of the technical details and what has been learned during the past half-century.
Alaska Dispatch News

"'The Great Quake' explains how one of North America's worst recent natural disasters led to a fascinating insight. Henry Fountain offers a gripping tale of loss, heroism, and, ultimately, discovery."
Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofThe Sixth Extinction

"Henry Fountain knows earthquakes, and he knows how to spin a yarn. 'The Great Quake' is the fascinating result. It takes meticulous research and real narrative skill to tell a story that moves this fast yet still feels so complete. The book shines on two levels: as a portrait of two quirky frontier communities before, during and after a stunning disaster, and as the story of an unpretentious geologist whose brilliant analysis of the great quake's causes provided crucial backing for one of the biggest ideas in all of science."
Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofTom's River

"For five terrifying minutes in 1964, the earth shook beneath Anchorage, Alaska. It devastated the city, and towns and villages throughout the state. In this fast-paced, engaging account of that disaster, Henry Fountain tells us what it was like to be there. His interviews with fortunate survivors bear witness to the pluck and determination of the human spirit--and reveals the better side of our natures in times of crisis. Read this book to better understand nature's power--and our human resilience. Fountain's riveting, 'you were there' account pulls you in, and keeps you turning the pages to find out who survived--and how."
Virginia Morell, author ofAnimal Wise, a NY Times bestseller.

Riveting. Science journalism at its bestlucid, clear, engaging, and authoritative. My hands were shaking after reading his description of the havoc and raw fury unleashed by mother nature in a 9.0 earthquake.
Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics andNew York Timesbestselling author ofThe Future of the Mind

Author Bio

HENRY FOUNTAIN has been a reporter and editor at the New York Times for two decades, writing about science for most of that time. From 1999 to 2009 he wrote "Observatory," a weekly column in the Science Times section. He was an editor on the national news desk and the Sunday Review and was one of the first editors of Circuits, the Times' pioneering technology section. Prior to coming to the Times, Fountain worked at the International Herald Tribune in Paris, Newsday in New York, and the Bridgeport Post in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he majored in architecture. He and his family live just outside of New York City. Learn more at henry-fountain.com.