Evidence of turbidity currents in Eklutna Lake

USGS scientists, working with researchers from the University of Ghent, probed the floor of Eklutna Lake, Anchorage Borough, Alaska, for evidence of turbidity currents triggered by strong shaking during the 2018 Mw7.1 Anchorage earthquake. In this photo, USGS scientist Peter Haeussler points to a dark layer at the top of a sediment core taken from the floor of Eklutna Lake. Research demonstrated that this dark layer, called a turbidite, was deposited on the lake floor after the 2018 earthquake. Field research took place in February 2019 when the lake was frozen, which allowed scientists to drill through the ice to collect 32 sediment cores. The deepest part of the lake exceeds 55 m (180 feet) (See SRL article by Van Daele et al., 2019, in press).