August 12, 1673 Tsunami: N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia

Name: August 12, 1673 Tsunami: N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
Start: 1673-08-12
Location: N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia

August 12, 1673 · Deaths: many · Probable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a volcano began at N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia on August 12, 1673. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.

Where the waves reached

The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.

Under 1 m
1 to 3 m
3 to 10 m
10 to 30 m
30 m and more
Height not recorded

Tsunami warnings in force

Travel times

How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.

The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.

1 to 4 hours
5 to 6 hours
7 to 14 hours
15 hours and more

Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.

The tsunami

Date: August 12, 1673
Source: N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
Cause: Volcano
Earthquake: The earthquake
Volcano: The eruption that caused it
Runups recorded: 1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura): 1
Tsunami magnitude (Iida): 1
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Probable tsunami
Source location: 1.375° N, 127.520° E

The toll

Deaths: Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Houses destroyed: Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it

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.

Reference #414:

1673, August 12, between 22:00 and 23:30 [local time] such a strong earthquake occurred on Ternate Island that no one could remember the like. The southern slope of Ternate Volcano split from top to bottom. Avalanches and rock falls occurred. The houses of the King of Ternate, standing at the foot of the volcano, made of stone and covered with tiles, collapsed completely. The sea "swelled" up so much that all the ships in the roadstead almost went to the bottom. Fish were tossed up on the beach in enormous amounts. This destructive phenomenon continued for at least another two months. May 20, 1673 is an additional date given for this tsunami.

Reference #2379:

Since its first recorded eruption in the 16th century, Gamkonora has typically produced small-to-moderate explosive eruptions. Its largest historical eruption, in 1673 [May 20], was accompanied by tsunamis that inundated villages.

Reference #9675:

1673, May 20. Eruption of Gamkonora. Tsunami inundated villages, many deaths.

Reference #132:

1673 August 12. Dutch East Indies, Ternate (a small island lying west of Halmahera, which lies northwest of New Guinea). Sea wave of considerable force.

Reference #40:

1673 August 12. Indonesia, Ternate (00 deg 48 min N, 127 deg 20 min E), (a small island west of Halmahera). Sea wave of considerable force.

Note: Reference #9675 indicates any deaths may be attribute to tsunami.

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

Where	Country	Km from source	Water height, m	Inland, m	Measured by	First wave, UTC	Deaths
Ternate Island	Indonesia	65			Eyewitness observation of water height

Every tsunami in 1673 The 1600s Tsunamis of Indonesia The earthquake The eruption This day in weather history Alerts in force

Sources

Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 312.