There were no reports of major damage or collapsed buildings following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Anchorage, Alaska.
The tremor cracked roads and collapsed some highway ramps, but other structures endured the quake fairly well. Alaska’s stringent seismic code gets the credit for that.
Along with California, Alaska has the highest seismic standards in the nation. The state implemented the strict code after it experienced a devastating 1964 earthquake (a 9.2 magnitude), the most powerful on record in the U.S.
The code mandates that structural connections, such as beams and columns, be reinforced to resist damage from shaking.
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