Central Alaska Map |
Magnitude 7.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
2002 November 03 22:12:41 UTC
Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
The Denali fault is a major fault that follows an arcuate trace across southern Alaska, following the Alaska Range for much of its length. The eastern part of the fault shows about 300 km (180 miles) of right-lateral strike-slip displacement since early Tertiary time. Offset surficial deposits and seismicity indicate that the fault has remained active to the present, but the November 3 earthquake is the largest seismic event so far recorded on the fault. In the left foreground, the Nenana River marks the eastern boundary of Denali National Park. The Parks Highway, which connects Anchorage and Fairbanks, lies immediately east of the river north of the fault, but diverges from the river to the south. The epicenter of the November 3 earthquake was approximately 42 miles (68 km) east of the highway. In the distance, the rugged peaks of Mts. Deborah and Hess rise to about 12,000 feet (3650 m) just north of the epicenters and the bend in the Denali fault.
(Photo and interpretation by Wesley K. Wallace, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks)