January 1, 1996 Earthquake: Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Name: January 1, 1996 Earthquake: Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Start: 1996-01-01
Location: Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia

January 1, 1996 · M7.9 · 9 deaths · $1.2 million · 400 houses destroyed

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia on January 1, 1996 at 08:05:10 UTC, 24 km below the surface. It killed 9 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: January 1, 1996
Time: 08:05:10 UTC
Place: Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Magnitude: 7.9 (Mw)
Focal depth: 24 km (15 mi)
Intensity: 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 0.729° N, 119.931° E
Country: Indonesia

The toll

Deaths: 9 with its tsunami and other effects
Injuries: 63 with its tsunami and other effects
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million); $1.2 million with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed: 400 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.

At least eight people killed, one person missing and more than 350 buildings damaged in the Bangkir-Tolitoli area. A local tsunami with estimated runup heights of one to five meters contributed to the damage in the epicentral area. Two events about 2.4 seconds apart. (reference #1053)

9 deaths, $1.2 million damage. (reference #1250)

On 1 January, 1996 at 16:05 p.m. local time (8:05 am. GMT), a strong earthquake struck the central part of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, approximately 180km north of

Palu. The Indonesian Meteorological and GeophysicalAgency estimated the earthquake magnitude to be M = 7 open Richter scale and the location of the epicentre in the Makassar Strait at 0.6 N and 119.92 E, 39 km deep. In the villages

closest to the epicentre, the earthquake intensity was 6 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. According to official reports, nine people were killed and 63 were

injured in Tonggolobibi village by a 2 m high tsunami, more than 400 houses were destroyed and became unfit for living. The tsunami was of a local character and the hit area was an approximately 100 km long coastline. (reference #1406)

0.83 N 120.1 E, 15 km depth, 0.5-2 m subsidence (reference #1398)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1996 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1996 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 5428.