August 16, 2009 Earthquake: Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia on August 16, 2009 at 07:38:21 UTC, 20 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- August 16, 2009
- Time
- 07:38:21 UTC
- Place
- Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 1.479° S, 99.490° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Injuries
- 9
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.
Nine people injured in the Padang area. Felt (V) at Padang;
(IV) at Pekanbaru and Sibolga; (III) at Padangpanjang
and Painan, Sumatra. Also felt at Payakumbuh and at
Gunungsitoli, Nias. Felt (III) at Petaling Jaya and
(II) at Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Also
felt at Keluang, Melaka, Shah Alam and Sungai Chua.
Felt (II) in Singapore. A tsunami with a wave height
(peak-to-trough) of 36 cm was recorded at Padang. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 30, 2009, Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
- February 10, 1797, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- March 6, 2007, Southern, Sumatra, Indonesia
- February 16, 2004, Padangpanjang, Sumatra, Indonesia
- June 1, 2016, Pesisir Selatan, Sumatra, Indonesia
- July 21, 2018, Solok, Sumatra, Indonesia
- April 10, 2005, Padang, Indonesia
- September 25, 1861, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- February 6, 1908, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- April 10, 1922, SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
- February 22, 2004, Pesisir Selatan, Sumatra, Indonesia
- April 9, 2004, Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
- February 25, 2008, Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
- April 24, 2023, Mentawai Islands, Sumatra, Indonesia
- November 24, 1833, Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 2009The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2009Recent 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 8472.