Significant earthquakes of 1937

September 27, 1937 Earthquake: Klumpit,prambanan, Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

September 27, 1937 · M7.2 · 1 death · 326 houses destroyed

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Klumpit,prambanan, Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia on September 27, 1937 at 08:55:10 UTC, 70 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.

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
September 27, 1937
Time
08:55:10 UTC
Place
Klumpit,prambanan, Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
Magnitude
7.2
Focal depth
70 km (43 mi)
Intensity
9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
9.400° S, 110.200° E
Country
Indonesia

The toll

Deaths
1
Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed
326
Houses damaged
2,200

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.

September 27, 1937, 8.7 S, 110.8 E. Jogyakarta: Central Java - felt as far east as eastern Lombok. In general, south Central Java was badly damaged and slight cracks in walls were found in East Java. The region of greatest destruction in Jogyakarta Province. At Prambanan 326 brick/stone houses collapsed. At Klaten 2200 houses sustained damage; at various places underground pipelines were broken. At Klumpit one house was torn apart, one person reported killed. (reference #1188)

September 27, 1937, 08:55:10 UTC, 9.5 S, 111 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.2 MS. (reference #88)

September 27, 1937, 08:55.2 UTC, 9.4 S, 110.2 E, depth about 70 km. (reference #45)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1937The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1937Recent 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 3600.