Significant earthquakes of 1885

April 30, 1885 Earthquake: Buru I, Ambon I, Haruku I, Indonesia

April 30, 1885 · M7.3 · 3 houses destroyed

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Buru I, Ambon I, Haruku I, Indonesia on April 30, 1885. 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 30, 1885
Place
Buru I, Ambon I, Haruku I, Indonesia
Magnitude
7.3 (Ms)
Epicenter
2.500° S, 127.500° E
Country
Indonesia

The toll

Damage
Limited (under about $1 million)
Houses destroyed
3 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:

1885, April 30, a few minutes before 13:00. There was an eruption on the Maluku Islands. It was accompanied by numerous aftershocks.

At Kaejli, on Buru Island, shocks lasting 50 seconds were so strong that portable lamps and other objects were overturned. At Ambon, on Haruku Island, and at Wahai, there were rather strong tremors lasting 20-30 seconds. There was an earthquake on Saparua Island. There were tremors lasting 15 seconds on Ternate Island; lamps rocked heavily; windows left ajar opened in some homes. At Bandaneira, there was a strong shock lasting 6 seconds.

Half an hour after the earthquake, the coastal village of Djikomuresa was inundated by the sea three times.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1885The 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 6208.