Significant earthquakes of 1841

December 16, 1841 Earthquake: Banda Sea, Indonesia

December 16, 1841 · M6

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Banda Sea, Indonesia on December 16, 1841. 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
December 16, 1841
Place
Banda Sea, Indonesia
Magnitude
6 (Ms)
Intensity
VIII, severe shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
4.000° S, 127.500° E
Country
Indonesia
Region
Central and South Pacific

The toll

Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed
Many (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.

Reference #414:

1841, December 16, 4 S, 127.5 E, magnitude 6. There was an earthquake and tsunami on the islands of Ambon, Buru and Ambelau. At Ambon, at about 2:00, a not particularly strong shock was felt. It was followed in about 15 minutes by a tidal wave, which reached a height of 1.5 above the high water level and repeatedly rolled onto the coast of Ambon Bay. At Galala, west of Ambon, several huts of local residents were washed away. On Buru Island, and also on Ambelau Island, a considerably stronger earthquake occurred between 1:00 and 2:00. It was accompanied on Ambelau Island by a large tidal wave, which washed away many huts and mosques in the coastal villages. The tremors continued on December 17 to 21.

Reference #1188:

1841, December 16. Ambon: a moderate earthquake

occurred at Ambon. The earthquake was accompanied by a

tsunami at Galaga Bay and Buru Island. The tsunami caused

damage to some boats. Intensity VII-VIII.

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

  1. #414 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1974). A catalogue of tsunamis on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 173-1968. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 439 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5077, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 447 p.]
  2. #1188 Soetardjo, M. Untung, and E.P. Arnold (1985). Southeast Asia Association of Seismology, Series on Seismology, vol. V - Indonesia, U.S. Geological Survey.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1841The 1800sRecent 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 6053.