June 17, 1861 Earthquake: SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck SW. Sumatra, Indonesia on June 17, 1861. 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
- June 17, 1861
- Place
- SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- 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, June 17, before 10:00, 1 N, 97.5 E, magnitude 6.75. At Ajerbangis, there were long period undulating tremors for about 1 minute. A little after this earthquake, the water rose and fell three times, as happens during tsunamis. (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
- April 26, 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 6144.