October 10, 1921 Earthquake: Sentani, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia

Name: October 10, 1921 Earthquake: Sentani, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia
Start: 1921-10-10
Location: Sentani, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia

October 10, 1921

An earthquake struck Sentani, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia on October 10, 1921.

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 10, 1921
Place: Sentani, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia
Intensity: 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 2.300° S, 138.800° E
Country: Indonesia

The toll

Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

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.

1921, October 10. Intensity VII. Sentani: Irian Jaya - A major

earthquake was felt as far as Dobo, but was destructive

around Lake Sentani in southeast Irian Jaya. Ground-slides,

boulders and a large mass of limestone damaged up a branch

of the river temporarily in theof the river temporarily in the village of Doormantop. (reference #1188)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1921 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1921 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 3178.