April 21, 1958 Earthquake: Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia on April 21, 1958 at 22:37:36 UTC, 200 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- April 21, 1958
- Time
- 22:37:36 UTC
- Place
- Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 200 km (124 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 4.500° S, 104.000° E
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- South and Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1958, April 22, 5:40 [local time]. There was an earthquake at Bengkulu, Palembang, Telukbetung and Banten, about which 10 reports are available. The intensity was 5-7 degrees. Three strong shocks were recorded. The earthquake was accompanied by tidal flooding, and the height of waves gradually increased (Anon., 1959). [21.IV; 22h37m36S; 4.5 S., 104 E.; 200 km; M=6.7.] (reference #414)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #414 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1974). A catalogue of tsunamis on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 173-1968. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 439 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5077, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 447 p.]
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 15, 1994, Southern Sumatera, Liwa, Lampung, Indonesia
- December 15, 1979, S Sumatera, Indonesia
- September 9, 2008, Southern, Sumatra, Indonesia
- June 25, 1933, S Sumatera, Indonesia
- January 29, 1986, S, Hahat, Muaraenim, Sumatera, Indonesia
- June 24, 1933, S Sumatera, Indonesia
- September 25, 1931, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- June 19, 1930, Java-S. Java Sea, Indonesia
- May 12, 2006, Kaliandak, Sumatra, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1958The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1958Recent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 6324.