March 6, 1710 Earthquake: Bandaneira, Indonesia
An earthquake struck Bandaneira, Indonesia on March 6, 1710. 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
- March 6, 1710
- Place
- Bandaneira, Indonesia
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 4.530° S, 129.900° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
1710, five weeks before April 10 (March 6?). There was a "large and terrible" earthquake at Bandaneira. The surface of the earth did not repose for a month. Most of the homes were substantially damaged. The sea repeatedly surged on to land as far as Fort Nassau and left fish in front of the water gates. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 25, 1852, Bandanaira, Maluku, Indonesia
- September 12, 1763, Bandaneira, Indonesia
- August 1, 1629, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- August 18, 1754, Ambon Island, Indonesia
- September 5, 1711, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- October 8, 1950, Seram, Indonesia
- October 10, 1882, Bandaneira, Indonesia
- November 23, 1890, Bandaneira, Indonesia
- 1630, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- July 20, 1859, Lonthor Island, Indonesia
- November 26, 1841, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- January 15, 1975, Bandanaira, Maluku, Indonesia
- December 24, 1852, Bandaneira, Indonesia
- July 18, 1956, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- June 16, 2021, Maluku, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1710The 1700sRecent 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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5994.