Significant earthquakes of 1932

May 14, 1932 Earthquake: Kakas,langowan,poso,tondano, Sulawesi, Indonesia

May 14, 1932 · M7.7 · 7 deaths · 938 houses destroyed

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Kakas,langowan,poso,tondano, Sulawesi, Indonesia on May 14, 1932 at 13:11:03 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 7 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
May 14, 1932
Time
13:11:03 UTC
Place
Kakas,langowan,poso,tondano, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Magnitude
7.7 (Mw)
Focal depth
15 km (9 mi)
Intensity
7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
0.386° N, 125.884° E
Country
Indonesia

The toll

Deaths
7
Injuries
115
Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed
938

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.

1932, May 14. Intensity VII. Tondano: North Sulawesi - the strong earthquake was felt as far north as Mindanao. The major destruction took place at Kakas, south of Lake Tondano; 592 houses collapsed, 115 people sustained injuries and the death of six people was reported. Damage was also done at Lanqowan. Poso, Tondano, Waluyama, Rembohan, Koya and Lekupang. Ternate in north Maluku suffered minor damage. On the coast between Amurang and Tompoan vertical gaping cracks developed in the beach sands and the sea side of the cracks sagged. (reference #1188)

1932, May 14, 13:11:00 UTC, 0.5 N, 126 E, shallow depth, magnitude 8.3 MS. (reference #88)

1932, May 14, 13:11:00 UTC, 0.5 N, 126 E, magnitude 8.0 MS. (reference #130)

1932, May 14, 8.0 MS, 7.4 Mw. (reference #1314)

6 deaths, 115 injured, 592 houses collapsed (reference #12633)

1 killed in Hiri, 6 killed in Kakas, 938 houses destroyed. (reference #13384)

1932-05-14 13:11:03.84 UTC, 0.386 N 125.884 E, magnitude 7.7 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)

Reference #14051 reports from 17 May indicate: Gorontalo: 100 houses destroyed, 3 dead, some injured; Kakas 529 houses destroyed, 6-7 dead, 100 injured; Motoling: 6 houses destroyed, 22 damaged; Ratahan: 55 houses destroyed; Kawenf 5 houses destroyed; Amoerang: 96 houses destroyed; Kalawiran: 25 houses destroyed; Passo: 6 houses destroyed and 20 razed: Mongondou: 36 homes destroyed; Kema: 15 houses destroyed: Likoepang : 30 houses destroyed; Kasar: 1 house destroyed.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1932The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1932Recent 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 3487.