October 25, 1983 Earthquake: Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on October 25, 1983 at 00:36:23 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 2 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 25, 1983
- Time
- 00:36:23 UTC
- Place
- Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.131° N, 120.858° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 4
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 20
- Houses damaged
- 4
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.
Oct 25, 1983, Origin Time 00h 36m 19.4s UTC, Epicentre
1.6N-120.8E, Magnitude: 6, Depth: 50 km, intensity VII. Central Sulawesi: The quake was strong enough to cause 2 people killed, 4 injured and 24 houses seriously damaged,
of which 20 collapsed. The shock was also felt in Palu,
the capital of Central Sulawesi Province. (reference #1188)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 28, 2018, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 14, 1968, Tambu,coast of Mapaga, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- May 19, 1938, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia
- January 1, 1996, Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- November 16, 2008, Minahassa Peninsula, Indonesia
- October 16, 1983, Tolitoli, Minahassa, Celebes, Indonesia
- August 1860, Minahassa, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- November 25, 1997, Minahassa Peninsula,gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- April 29, 1960, Una-Una Island, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1983The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1983Recent 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 4993.