October 5, 1891 Earthquake: Timor Sea, Indonesia
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Timor Sea, Indonesia on October 5, 1891, 80 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
- October 5, 1891
- Place
- Timor Sea, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 80 km (50 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 9.000° S, 124.000° 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.
October 5, 1891, 20:15 (local time), 9 S, 124 E, depth 80 km, magnitude 7 MS. There was an earthquake on Timor and adjacent islands. At Maumere, there were heavy tremors lasting 20 seconds. At Trong, there were rather strong oscillations lasting 70 seconds; there was a mass of aftershocks. At Kupang, there was a very strong undulating movement. There were strong shocks at Babau, Pariri and Amasari, and several shocks at Ende. There was a strong earthquake for 20 seconds at Atapupu; there were many aftershocks. Oscillations in sea level also occurred during the first shock. The water rolled onto the coast of the bay with great force several times and rolled back at 5 minute intervals. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 18, 1896, Alor Island, Timor, Indonesia
- November 26, 1987, Pantar, Mount Sirung, Timor, Indonesia
- November 11, 2004, Kepulauan Alor, Indonesia
- July 4, 1991, Kalabahi, Dili, Timor, Indonesia
- December 25, 1982, Eastern, Flores Island, Indonesia
- May 14, 1995, Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara, Indonesia
- March 22, 1944, Flores, Indonesia
- July 18, 2005, Timor Tengah Utara, Timor, Indonesia
- November 4, 2015, Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
- April 23, 2004, Kupang, Timor, Indonesia
- 1814, Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island, Indonesia
- July 14, 1989, Alor, Timor, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1891The 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 6570.