July 8, 1919 Earthquake: Rukwa, Tanzania

Name: July 8, 1919 Earthquake: Rukwa, Tanzania
Start: 1919-07-08
Location: Rukwa, Tanzania

July 8, 1919 · M7

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Rukwa, Tanzania on July 8, 1919 at 21:06:14 UTC.

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: July 8, 1919
Time: 21:06:14 UTC
Place: Rukwa, Tanzania
Magnitude: 7 (Mw)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 8.110° S, 31.556° E
Country: Tanzania

The toll

Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 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.

1919 July 08, 21:06:14.64 UTC, 8.11 S 31.556 E, magnitude 6.97 Mw (reference #10476)

1919 July 08, 9.0 S 32.5 E, magnitude 6.8 Ms. Western Tanzania (reference #13028)

1919 July 08, magnitude 6.8 Ms. A large magnitude earthquake occurred in the region between Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa (Figure A19). The epicentral area was located in the southern part of the Ufipa district where damage was widespread. In Mayambi and Mwazye all houses were either destroyed or ruined. Near Mwazye the ground was ruptured and clouds of dust rose from the ground. The missions of Galula, Zimba, and Kate, already damaged by the earthquake of 1 May, were ruined. The shock was perceptible as far as Dar-es-Salam, Kampala, and Entebbe where it is said it lasted, intermittently for two minutes. It was followed by many aftershocks. It was well recorded instrumentally. (reference #13029)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1919 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1919 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 10570.