December 1, 1927 Earthquake: Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Name: December 1, 1927 Earthquake: Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Start: 1927-12-01
Location: Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia

December 1, 1927 · M6.2 · 50 deaths

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia on December 1, 1927 at 04:37:24 UTC, 20 km below the surface. It killed 50 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

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: December 1, 1927
Time: 04:37:24 UTC
Place: Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Magnitude: 6.2 (Mw)
Focal depth: 20 km (12 mi)
Intensity: 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 0.881° S, 120.751° E
Country: Indonesia

The toll

Deaths: 50 with its tsunami and other effects
Injuries: 50 with its tsunami and other effects
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million); Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed: Some (about 51 to 100); Many (101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects

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.

Reference #414:

There was a strong earthquake with source in the region of Palu Bay (Sulawesi Island). At Palu, three large stalls collapsed completely at the market. All the remaining structures suffered some damage. The main road, leading to the corn market, was heavily damaged, and some side streets behind the bazaar subsided about 1/2 m.

At Borowaru, market stalls were completely destroyed and the building of the district administration was heavily damaged. At Donggala, the gallery of the office of the local official partly collapsed. The earthquake was felt clearly all over the west of the middle part of Sulawesi Island. The maximal radius of perceptibility was 230 km.

At the same time, a tidal wave appeared in Palu Bay.

Subsequent shocks of the earthquake were felt on December 1, 2, 3, 5, and 17 at Parigi, Malitou, Palu, and Talise.

[I.XII; 4h37m27s; 0.7o S., 119.7o E.; M=6.3.]

Reference #1188:

0.5 S, 119.5 E, intensity VII.

Reference #1398:

0.7 S 119.7 E, subsidence 0.5-12 m

Reference #10476 (v.12.1):

1927-12-01 04:37:24.64 UTC, magnitude 6.21 Mw

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1927 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1927 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 3339.