The Great QuakeBy: Henry Fountain New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice A riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in North American recorded historythe 1964 Alaska earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and swept away the island village of Chenegaand the geologist who hunted for clues to explain how and why it took place. At 5: 36 p. m. on March 27, 1964, a magnitude 9. 2. earthquakethe second most powerful in world historystruck the young state