October 8, 1994 Earthquake: Halmahera, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Halmahera, Indonesia on October 8, 1994 at 21:44:07 UTC, 17 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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 8, 1994
- Time
- 21:44:07 UTC
- Place
- Halmahera, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 1.258° S, 127.980° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 52
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- 500
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.
A strong earthquake hit the Maluku region of Indonesia on Oct 9, 1994, at 4:44 hrs local time (Oct 8 21:44 UTC). A bulletin issued by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, reports the earthquake was immediately followed by a three meter tsunami which affected six villages on Obi Island. The local authorities reported the following preliminary data on casualties and damage [did not specify if earthquake or tsunami damage]: 1 dead; 12 severely injured and 40 slightly injured; 113 houses severely damaged and 364 slightly damaged; 2 health centres slightly damaged; some damage also reported to bridges and piers, elementary schools, village offices, mosques and churches.(reference #229)
One person killed, 52 injured and nearly 500 buildings damaged on Obi. Also, some bridges and piers were damaged on Obi. Felt strongly on Ambon. (reference #1053)
1 killed, 2437 affected. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 14, 2019, N, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- October 6, 1860, Halmahera Island, Indonesia
- May 29, 2007, Labuha, Indonesia
- October 7, 1923, Djailolo Gilolo, Indonesia
- April 30, 1885, Buru I, Ambon I, Haruku I, Indonesia
- January 10, 1900, Galela (Halmahera Island), Indonesia
- July 19, 1646, Makjan (Maklan), Maluku, Indonesia
- December 1657, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- July 12, 1673, Banda Sea, Indonesia
- November 18, 1892, Seram Island, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1994The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1994Recent 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 5393.