January 6, 1857 Earthquake: Gondokoro, Ilengwe, South Sudan
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Gondokoro, Ilengwe, South Sudan on January 6, 1857 at 19:00 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
- January 6, 1857
- Time
- 19:00 UTC
- Place
- Gondokoro, Ilengwe, South Sudan
- Magnitude
- 5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 4.500° N, 31.500° E
- Country
- South Sudan
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
The activity in the Gondokoro Gorge continued intermittently. Late at night on 6 January 1857, another very strong earthquake occurred in the Gondokoro region which was followed by a long series of minor shocks. This event, which at Gondokoro was strong enough to crack walls and ceilings, to set up waves on the Nile and to shake leaves from trees, had its epicenter near Ilengwe, where rockfalls and violent movements of the ground caused panic among the natives. (reference #3790)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1857The 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 8198.