Today is the anniversary of the M9.2 #AlaskaEarthquake. Since I'm currently teleworking from right above the rupture zone, I'd like to tell you about Dr. Ruth A. M. Schmidt.
On March 27th, 1964, Ruth and four others were on top of a frozen glacier lake. The ice began to crack…
On March 27th, 1964, Ruth and four others were on top of a frozen glacier lake. The ice began to crack…
"I first recall a distant roar sound then the lake began to violently vibrate … The ice was now heaving up and down in big surges … We noticed small cracks (couple inches wide) running great distances … I could hear these cracks forming" Arthur Kennedy, pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0544a/pp544…
For full minutes their world shook, keeping each of them pinned as deep booming was cut by sharp cracks of ice fracturing. When shaking subsided, Ruth and her colleague fled incoming snow avalanches and met their group in the middle of the lake. All accounted for, thank goodness.
Ruth confided to a friend after the quake: "Gibert recalls the fearless geologist expressing disappointment for not experiencing the event in Anchorage, for the rumbles and asphalt waves would have been much more intense – perfect for adventurous types."
explorer.aapg.org/story/articlei…
explorer.aapg.org/story/articlei…
"Ruth was certainly the one we listened to as a source of age and wisdom and calmness," Mike Mitchell recalls, "There was no panic."
Roping themselves together, the five navigated splintered ice blocks buoyed around by seiche waves as darkness set in.
explorer.aapg.org/story/articlei…
Roping themselves together, the five navigated splintered ice blocks buoyed around by seiche waves as darkness set in.
explorer.aapg.org/story/articlei…
After nixing a pitch black journey through an unstable railway tunnel, the group found their way to an occupied cabin. By radio came the confirmation that this was an earthquake. They sipped coffee and watched aftershocks swing a cup they had tied to the ceiling with a string.
In the morning, Ruth hiked out with the others and hitched helicopter rides back to Anchorage. She was immediately appointed to lead a group of 50 scientists to survey the damage to the city of Anchorage, identify future risks, and make recommendations for the rebuilding effort.
Ruth faced opposition from developers wanting to get on with rebuilding the city. Scathing letters were published, criticizing the delay.
“No one likes to be told his house and business are on landslide areas, but if they are, how much better is it to know it?” Ruth later wrote.
“No one likes to be told his house and business are on landslide areas, but if they are, how much better is it to know it?” Ruth later wrote.
Ruth's team completed the study in a month, reflecting, "Geologists have done their part as citizens to see that everyone has been made aware of the hazards of building on landslides … Let us hope they can continue to guide the city and to help see that disasters do not recur."
On top of her stunning experience and role in the 1964 earthquake, Dr. Ruth A. M. Schmidt led an extraordinary life as a trailblazing woman in geology. Early on, she worked in the top secret USGS Military Geology Unit, producing classified maps for military construction projects.
While working in Washington D.C., Ruth was twice investigated for disloyalty during the McCarthy era. This was largely due to her membership in the Washington Cooperative Bookshop, a retail store which advocated for racial equality and was categorized as Communistic in 1947.
In 1956, Ruth went up to Alaska to establish a USGS field office in Anchorage, serving as division geologist until 1963. Tired of the paperwork, her request for a research position was denied in favor of younger male PhDs and she was told to work on research in her "spare time."
Not one to be stymied, Ruth left USGS and immersed herself in teaching. She founded University of Alaska Anchorage's geology program, mentored numerous students over her 25 years as a professor, and established financial support for women and minorities.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_A._M…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_A._M…
This is my first time stumbling on the thrilling story of Dr. Ruth A. M. Schmidt, but I am inspired by her service and I feel connected through our overlapping paths between D.C. and Alaska. As a well-wisher wrote on her obituary, "Big shoes to fill…Ruth will be missed."
