August 14, 1968 Earthquake: Tambu,coast of Mapaga, Sulawesi, Indonesia
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Tambu,coast of Mapaga, Sulawesi, Indonesia on August 14, 1968 at 22:14:19 UTC, 23 km below the surface. It killed 200 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
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
- August 14, 1968
- Time
- 22:14:19 UTC
- Place
- Tambu,coast of Mapaga, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Focal depth
- 23 km (14 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 0.200° N, 119.800° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 200 with its tsunami and other effects
- Injuries
- 58 with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses destroyed
- 800 with its tsunami and other effects
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.
Reference #414:
1968, August 14. There was a strong earthquake off the northwestern coast of Sulawesi Island. In the region of Manimbaja Bay, between Tandjung, Manimbaja, and Sabang, Sulawesi, displacements along faults caused the coast to subside 2-3 m. A destructive tsunami arose.
[14.VIII; 22h14m21s; 0.2o S., 119.8o E.; M=7.4.]
Reference #1398:
0.7 N 119.8 E, 25 km depth, subsidence 2-3 m
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 28, 2018, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- December 1, 1927, Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- May 19, 1938, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia
- January 1, 1996, Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 18, 2012, Sigi, Parigi Mountong, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- June 16, 2026, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
- October 25, 1983, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 16, 2025, Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- September 28, 2018, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- January 23, 2005, Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 6, 2023, Sigi, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- July 9, 2005, Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- October 16, 1983, Tolitoli, Minahassa, Celebes, Indonesia
- May 29, 2017, Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 1860, Minahassa, Sulawesi, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1968The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1968Recent 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 4454.