WASHINGTON, March 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)
SUNDAY, MARCH 27: THE BIG ALASKA EARTHQUAKE
Profile America -- Sunday, March 27th. Today and tomorrow mark two important anniversaries in the history of Alaska. Tomorrow is Seward's Day, observing the purchase of Alaska from the Russians in 1867 by Secretary of State William Seward. The controversial purchase enlarged the U.S. by more than 615,000 square miles. And today is the 47th anniversary of the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America -- a tremor hitting 9.2 on the Richter scale. Parts of the city of Anchorage subsided 10 feet. Estimates of those killed in the quake and resulting tsunamis range up to 131. Alaska remains a seismic hotspot. In the last decade, the state registered more than 12,000 tremors.Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 190, 192
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 385
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
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U.S. Census Bureau
CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax:
+1-301-763-3762, rreed-at-census.gov
Web site: http://www.census.gov/
