August 1802 Earthquake: Banda Sea, Indonesia
An earthquake struck Banda Sea, Indonesia in August 1802. 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
- August 1802
- Place
- Banda Sea, Indonesia
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 3.700° S, 128.200° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) 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.
1802, August. Ambon. A letter dated August 25 reports a strong earthquake which affected Ambon Island and other islands on the east of Indonesia. The water at sea rose very high and did great damage on the coast of the islands. (reference #414)
Reference #13384 lists date as 25 Aug 1802. South Maluku.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 29, 1899, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- February 17, 1674, Ambon Island, Seram Island, Indonesia
- September 25, 2019, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- August 18, 1754, Ambon Island, Indonesia
- March 14, 2006, Seram, Indonesia
- November 12, 2019, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- September 5, 1711, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- October 10, 2019, Passo, Indonesia
- October 8, 1950, Seram, Indonesia
- October 31, 2017, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- January 16, 2016, Buru, Ambalau Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- May 6, 1674, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- April 18, 1775, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- November 1, 1835, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- November 19, 1852, Ambon Island, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1802The 1800sRecent earthquakes near here
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 6040.