April 26, 1861 Earthquake: SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck SW. Sumatra, Indonesia on April 26, 1861, 70 km below the surface. 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
- April 26, 1861
- Place
- SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 70 km (43 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 1.000° N, 97.500° 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.
1861, April 26, (local time), 1 S, 97.5 E, depth 70 km, magnitude 7. There was a strong earthquake lasting 2-3 minutes at Pariaman. It lasted 1 1/2 minutes at Singkel. At Padang and Ajerbangis horizontal undulating movements about 2 minutes in duration were observed. Light shocks were felt at Fort de Kok. At Singkel, the sea level rose so high, that the floor in the commander's home was covered with a layer of water 25 cm deep. In the next two days, the water rose more than once to the same height, though no new underground shocks were felt. (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 30, 2022, Sumatra, Indonesia
- January 22, 2008, Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Sumatra, Indonesia
- June 17, 1861, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- January 5, 1843, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- November 11, 1852, Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
- July 5, 2005, Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Sumatra, Indonesia
- December 28, 1935, Batu I,padang,sibolga, N Sumatera, Indonesia
- February 4, 1971, Natal, Sibolga, Tarutung, Pasaman, Indonesia
- April 6, 2010, Sumatra, Indonesia
- August 27, 1984, Tarutung, N Sumatera, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1861The 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 6143.