The Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964 , was of greater magnitude than the San Francisco earthquake; it released perhaps twice as much energy and was felt over an area of almost 500,000 square miles. The ground motion near the epicenter was so violent that the tops of some trees were snapped off. One hundred and fourteen people (some as far away as California ) died as a result of this earthquake, but loss of life and property would have been far greater had Alaska been more densely populated.