November 11, 1852 Earthquake: Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia on November 11, 1852 at 00:00 UTC. 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
- November 11, 1852
- Time
- 00:00 UTC
- Place
- Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 1.500° N, 98.000° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1852, November 11, 1852, 7:00 (local time), 1.5 N, 98 E, magnitude 6.75 MS. There was an earthquake on the west coast of Sumatra Island, at Singkel and Sibolga and on Nias Island. It affected an area of 600 km2 (180 square miles), and the waters on all this area were disturbed. A shock was felt at sea 6 km (3 miles) from Gunungsitoli. An earthquake was felt at Padang. At 8:30, there was a weak shock on Penang Island. [It is difficult to judge whether this refers to a seaquake or a tsunami.] (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 28, 2005, SW, Sumatera, Indonesia
- March 9, 1861, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- September 5, 2011, Sumatra, Indonesia
- September 30, 2022, Sumatra, Indonesia
- April 25, 1987, N, Tarutung-Lake Toba,, Sumatera, Indonesia
- January 22, 2008, Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Sumatra, Indonesia
- March 17, 2025, Tapanuli, N Sumatera, Indonesia
- January 5, 1843, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- April 26, 1861, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- June 17, 1861, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- July 5, 2005, Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Sumatra, Indonesia
- August 27, 1984, Tarutung, N Sumatera, Indonesia
- February 4, 1971, Natal, Sibolga, Tarutung, Pasaman, Indonesia
- April 6, 2010, Sumatra, Indonesia
- December 28, 1935, Batu I,padang,sibolga, N Sumatera, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1852The 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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6066.