March 30, 1903 Earthquake: Tifu, Masarete, Kajeli, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Tifu, Masarete, Kajeli, Indonesia on March 30, 1903, 33 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
- March 30, 1903
- Place
- Tifu, Masarete, Kajeli, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 3.000° S, 127.500° 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.
1903, March 30, 11:30 local time [3 S, 127.5 E, magnitude 6.5]. At Tifu, Masarete and Kajeli, there were three horizontal tremors of considerable force lasting 5 minutes, The direction was from the northeast. They were felt at Buru. They were registered by mechanical seismographs at Djakarta (Ratavia) at 3h26.7m. Immediately after the earthquake, oscillations in sea level, lasting about 45 minutes, were observed at Tifu and Masarete. The water rose to a height of 1 m. Milne (1912 a): 30.III; 3h23m; 3 S., 126 E. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 29, 1899, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- February 17, 1674, Ambon Island, Seram Island, Indonesia
- January 24, 1965, Sanana Island, Indonesia
- September 25, 2019, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- March 14, 2006, Seram, Indonesia
- August 18, 1754, Ambon Island, Indonesia
- November 12, 2019, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- October 31, 2017, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
- January 16, 2016, Buru, Ambalau Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- October 10, 2019, Passo, Indonesia
- October 8, 1950, Seram, Indonesia
- March 1, 1948, Seram, Indonesia
- January 28, 2004, Seram, Indonesia
- May 28, 1876, Buru Island, Ceram Sea, Indonesia
- November 18, 1892, Seram Island, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1903The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1903Recent 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 6237.