Significant earthquakes of 1984

January 8, 1984 Earthquake: W, Sulawesi, Indonesia

January 8, 1984 · M6.6 · 2 deaths · $500,000

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck W, Sulawesi, Indonesia on January 8, 1984 at 15:24:13 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
January 8, 1984
Time
15:24:13 UTC
Place
W, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Magnitude
6.6 (Ms)
Focal depth
33 km (21 mi)
Intensity
7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
2.823° S, 118.806° E
Country
Indonesia

The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
89
Damage
$500,000
Houses damaged
685

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.

January 8, 1984. Two people killed, 23 injured, and damage to buildings in the Mamuju area. (reference #1053)

1984, January 8, 15:24:14.4 UTC. 2.94 S, 818.73 E, magnitude 5.9, depth 95 km. Mamuju: Central Sulawesi - this

quake killed 2 persons, seriously injured 5, slightly

injured 84. In the affected area 15 government office buildings, 23 government houses, 31 school buildings, one clinic, one news-stand seriously damaged and about 16 government office buildings, 12 government houses, 14 school buildings and two clinics slightly damaged. Besides this above-mentioned damage, 213 local people's houses, 4 shops, 18 mosques and one church were seriously damaged and 321 people's houses, 4 shops, 13 mosques and 1 church were slightly damaged. Ground-slumps were observed in Tapalang. The shock was also accompanied by a tsunami. (reference #1188)

1984, January 10. $0.5 million dollars damage, 2 deaths, 89 injuries. [probably describing earthquake on Jan 8] (reference #1250)

2.77 S 118.8 E, 14.8 km depth (reference #1398)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1984The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1984Recent 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 5019.