The Alaskan Earthquake of 1964 provided a lot of evidence for the theory of plate tectonics, a new refinement of the older continental drift theory. It gave dramatic evidence of what happens at subduction zone plate boundaries. One thrust fault moved the shoreline up some 38 feet and established a new shoreline a couple hundred yards away.
Similar earthquakes happen frequently often just off shore but eventually one will happen again in an urban area. That will certainly be labeled catastrophic and will be for those effected.
It was a really interesting article. As a fan of Simon Winchester, I sure hope he writes about that earthquake someday.