Alaska has a wide range of environmental conditions, hazards, 

 economic activity and infrastructure development. Considering the size 

 and diversity of Alaska's environment, OCS impacts will vary considerably 

 depending upon where development occurs. Consequently this report 

 examines each of the nine proposed leasing areas separately. Each 

 leasing area is examined with respect to (1) a brief description of the 

 area, (2) its petroleum resources, (3) the status of OCS operations, and 

 (4) environmental and socio economic impacts. 



5.2.2 Northern Gulf of Alaska 



Description of the Region 1 3 



The topography of the northern Gulf of Alaska is extremely irregular; 

 many mountains in the coastal ranges exceed 10,000 ft. and some 

 of the highest peaks (e.g., Mt. St. Elias - 18,000+ ft) are only 20 

 miles from the ocean. Only a few inlets intervene from the eastern 

 extension of the Gulf to Prince William Sound, the most important being 

 Yakutat Bay. The Continental Shelf of the Gulf is narrow, ranging in 

 width from 8 to 65 miles 



Earthquakes are common in the area. The epicenter of the devastating 

 Alaskan earthquake in 1964 (8.5) was located about 50 miles west of 

 Valdez. During the past 75 years, there have been nine earthquakes 

 which had a magnitude of eight or greater and over 60 with a magnitude 

 of seven or greater. lk 



The Gulf of Alaska is well known for its frequent and violent 

 storms. Sea heights as great as 70 ft have been recorded during storms 

 and 15 to 20 ft. seas are common, particularly during the winter months. 



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