January 23, 2005 Earthquake: Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia on January 23, 2005 at 20:10:12 UTC, 11 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
- January 23, 2005
- Time
- 20:10:12 UTC
- Place
- Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 11 km (7 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.198° S, 119.933° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 4
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
One person killed, four injured and at least 136
buildings damaged (V) in the Palu area. Felt (III) at
Parigi. New hot springs formed in the Bobo area. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 28, 2018, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 14, 1968, Tambu,coast of Mapaga, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- December 1, 1927, Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 15, 2002, Tojo, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- May 19, 1938, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia
- November 14, 2018, Mamasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 18, 2012, Sigi, Parigi Mountong, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- June 16, 2026, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 16, 2025, Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- September 28, 2018, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 26, 2021, Tojo Una-Una, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
- July 9, 2005, Donggala, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- August 6, 2023, Sigi, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- May 29, 2017, Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- July 30, 1907, Lemo, Colo, Anja, Olu Congko, Sulawesi, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 2005The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2005Recent 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 5839.