The most violent earthquake ever recorded in North America the Good Friday Alaskan earthquake-occurred at 5:36 PM on March 27, 1964. Felt throughout that state, the earthquake had a moment magnitude (Mw) of 9.2 and lasted 3-4 minutes. This event left 131 people dead, thousands homeless, and the economy of the state badly disrupted. Had schools and business districts been open, the toll surely would have been higher Within 24 hours of the initial shock, 28 aftershocks were recorded, 10 of which exceeded a magnitude of 6.0. The location of the epicenter and the towns that were hardest hit by the quake are shown in Figure 8.17.