The 1964 Alaska earthquake is also known as the Good Friday earthquake.
It struck south-central Alaska at 5:36 p.m. local time on March 27, 1964, which was Good Friday in the Christian calendar. The event is also called the Great Alaska earthquake, but “Good Friday earthquake” is the holiday-based name asked for here.
The magnitude 9.2–9.3 megathrust earthquake lasted roughly four minutes and thirty-eight seconds, making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America. Rupture occurred where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate.
Tsunamis and landslides caused much of the death and destruction. The disaster killed about 139 people, damaged Anchorage, devastated coastal communities, and sent tsunami waves across parts of Canada and the U.S. Pacific coast. It is not called Easter Sunday or Christmas Day; those dates do not match the earthquake’s date.