Henry M Fountain, "The Great Quake"

The earthquake that struck Alaska on March 27, 1964 measured 9.2 on the Richter scale and lasted nearly five minutes. It killed 130 people, erased the coastal village of Chenega, and was the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America and the second-biggest ever in the world. In his fascinating account of the disaster, Fountain, a veteran New York Times science writer, combines history, science and his own travels in Prince William Sound. Fountain interviewed many of the quake’s survivors and conveys their first-hand experiences of the temblor and its aftermath. He also talked extensively with George Plafker, the U.S. Geological Survey geologist charged with explaining this massive earthquake, and chronicles how Plafker’s investigations helped confirm the then-controversial theory of plate tectonics.

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