earthquakes. Here, the grating forces of the Pacific and North American plates have long caused the earth to rumble, shake, and otherwise adjust itself. The town of Valdez, some forty miles east of Unakwik Inlet, has recorded dozens of major earthquakes and numerous minor ones since records were begun in 1898. By some counts, one out of every ten of the world’s earthquakes occurs in Alaska. But no one was prepared for the fury that was unleashed this March evening.
