July 23, 1943 Earthquake: Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia on July 23, 1943 at 14:53:09 UTC, 90 km below the surface. It killed 213 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
- July 23, 1943
- Time
- 14:53:09 UTC
- Place
- Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 8.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 90 km (56 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 9.500° S, 110.000° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 213
- Injuries
- 2,096
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses damaged
- 2,800
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.
1943, July 23, 8.6 S, 109.9 E, MMI VIII. Jogyakarta:
Central Java - the disturbance was most intense along the south coast of Central Java, between Garut and Surakarta, a distance of about 250 km. The deaths of 213 people have been reported, and about 2096 persons were seriously injured; approximately 2800 houses were damaged. (reference #1188)
1943, July 23, 14:53:09 UTC, 9.5 S, 110 E, depth 90 km, magnitude 8.1 MS. (reference #88)
1943, July 23, 14:53:09 UTC, 9.5 S, 110 E, depth 90 km, magnitude 7.75 MS. (reference #130)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 26, 2006, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
- June 10, 1867, Jogyakarta, Surakarta, Java, Indonesia
- October 20, 1859, S. Java Sea, Indonesia
- September 27, 1937, Klumpit,prambanan, Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
- June 30, 2023, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
- January 4, 1840, Purworejo, Java, Indonesia
- January 25, 2014, Banyumas, Java, Indonesia
- September 11, 1921, S of Java, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1943The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1943Recent 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 3749.