What Caused the 1964 Earthquake?

What was the cause of the 1964 great earthquake? Plate tectonics. Geologists explain that the earth's crust, or topmost layer is like a broken dinner plate that has shattered into many large and small pieces. These pieces, called plates, are in constant motion, frequently releasing energy in the form of earthquakes as they slowly separate from, collide with, or slide past each other.

Studies suggest that massive earthquakes like the 1964 temblor strike the Kodiak region every few hundred years. Why? First of all, Kodiak sits within the "Ring of Fire." Also called the Circum-Pacific Belt, this is the zone encircling the Pacific Ocean where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur. Secondly, Kodiak Island is located on the North American Plate near the boundary between the North American and Pacific plates. It is here where the Pacific Plate is slowly slipping underneath the North American Plate and creating a high point of stress. In fact, by tracking the after-shocks that occurred following the 1964 earthquake, scientists now know that the strain released from the 1964 earthquake was most intense off Kodiak Island and Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands to the north. Living on Kodiak Island is living in earthquake country.