Significant earthquakes of 1896

April 18, 1896 Earthquake: Alor Island, Timor, Indonesia

April 18, 1896 · 250 deaths

An earthquake struck Alor Island, Timor, Indonesia on April 18, 1896. It killed 250 people.

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 18, 1896
Place
Alor Island, Timor, Indonesia
Intensity
VIII, severe shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
8.250° S, 124.750° E
Country
Indonesia
Region
South and Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean

The toll

Deaths
250
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed
Many (101 to 1,000)

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.

1896, April 18. Intensity Vii-VIII. Timor Island: The quake was also felt at Alor Island; 250 people killed and most of the settlement damaged. (reference #1188)

1896, April 18. Dutch East Indies, Alor in Timor. Intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

  1. #1188 Soetardjo, M. Untung, and E.P. Arnold (1985). Southeast Asia Association of Seismology, Series on Seismology, vol. V - Indonesia, U.S. Geological Survey.
  2. #1055 Milne, John (1911). Catalogue of Destructive Earthquakes [7 to 1899 A.D.], Report of the 81st Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Portsmouth, London, United Kingdom, p. 649-740.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1896The 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 2485.