July 18, 1608 Eruption of Gamalama

Name: July 18, 1608 Eruption of Gamalama
Start: 1608-07-18
Location: Gamalama, Indonesia

July 18, 1608 · VEI 3 · Deaths: few

Gamalama in Indonesia erupted on July 18, 1608 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. It caused a tsunami.

Where it erupted

Gamalama, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: July 18, 1608
Volcano: Gamalama, stratovolcano
Country: Indonesia
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Location: 0.810° N, 127.332° E

The toll

Deaths: Few (about 1 to 50) with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
Damage: Limited (under about $1 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.

Reference #2379:

The 1608 eruption caused some damage and was possibly related to a tidal wave felt by the Dutch Fleet in July 1608.

Reference #2432:

The island of Ternate was a major regional center in the Portuguese and Dutch spice trade for several centuries, which contributed to the thorough documentation of Gamalama's historical activity.

Other significant eruptions of Gamalama

Every eruption in 1608 The 1600s Gamalama Earthquakes near Gamalama This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions 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. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 607.