October 20, 1958 Earthquake: Malang, Java, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Malang, Java, Indonesia on October 20, 1958 at 01:12:37 UTC, 100 km below the surface. It killed 8 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
- October 20, 1958
- Time
- 01:12:37 UTC
- Place
- Malang, Java, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 100 km (62 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 9.500° S, 112.500° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 8
- Injuries
- 1,856
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 95
- Houses damaged
- 206
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.
1958, October 20, Olh 12m 30s UTC. 9.5 S, 112.5 E, Magnitude 6.7, Depth: 100 km. Intensity VII-VIII. Malang: East Java - seriously damaged houses in the Malang area. Earth fissures at various places and land slides in the mountainous regions. Eight persons lost their lives. (reference #1188) lists magnitude 6.7,
1958, October 20, 01:12:37 UTC. 9.5 S, 112.5 E. Off south coast of Java. 7 killed, 1856 injured, 95 houses destroyed, 206 heavily damaged. Felt at Jogjakarta, Malang and Suabaja. Depth about 100 km. (reference #45)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 2, 1994, Java, Indonesia
- February 19, 1967, Dampit,gondang,trenggalek, Java, Indonesia
- April 10, 2021, Lumajang, Malang, Java, Indonesia
- October 20, 1859, S. Java Sea, Indonesia
- September 28, 1998, Jawa, Malang, Blitar, Bantur, Indonesia
- September 11, 1916, Java, Indonesia
- July 8, 2013, Java, Indonesia
- June 3, 1994, Java, Indonesia
- June 5, 1994, Java, Indonesia
- June 4, 1994, Java, Indonesia
- April 13, 1985, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
- July 19, 1930, S. Java Sea, 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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4178.