July 19, 1646 Earthquake: Makjan (Maklan), Maluku, Indonesia
An earthquake struck Makjan (Maklan), Maluku, Indonesia on July 19, 1646. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 19, 1646
- Place
- Makjan (Maklan), Maluku, Indonesia
- Intensity
- IX, violent shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Volcano
- The eruption it came with
- Epicenter
- 0.320° N, 127.400° E
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- Central and South Pacific
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
A very violent earthquake accompanied a powerful eruption of the volcano. The earthquake was so terrible that residents thought the area would have to be abandoned. Several locals were killed by fire(or lava?). (reference #11528)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #11528 Harris, Ron, Jonathan Major (2016). Waves of destruction in the East Indies: the Wichmann catalogue of earthquakes and tsunami in the Indonesian region from 1538 to 1877. In Geohazards in Indonesia: Earth Science for Disaster Risk Reduction, P. R. Cummins and I. Meilano (eds.), Geological Society London, Special Publications, vol. 441. DOI:10.1144/SP441.2
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 14, 1855, Ternate Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- January 21, 1994, Kau, Indonesia
- July 14, 2019, N, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- May 14, 1932, Kakas,langowan,poso,tondano, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- January 21, 2007, N, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- April 1, 2026, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
- November 14, 2019, N, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- October 8, 1994, Halmahera, Indonesia
- January 10, 1900, Galela (Halmahera Island), Indonesia
- September 27, 1854, Ternate Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- February 14, 1840, Ternate Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- June 25, 1907, Djailolo Gilolo, Indonesia
- May 20, 1673, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- August 12, 1673, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- August 11, 2003, Wasile, Halmahera, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1646The 1600sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 10519.