August 12, 1772 Eruption of Papandayan
Papandayan in Indonesia erupted on August 12, 1772 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 2,957 people.
Where it erupted
Papandayan, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- August 12, 1772
- Volcano
- Papandayan, stratovolcano
- Country
- Indonesia
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Avalanche (debris and landslides)
- Location
- 7.320° S, 107.730° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,957
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
Debris avalanche from collapse of NE part of mountain completely destroyed 40 villages. (reference #9675)
Other significant eruptions of Papandayan
More
Every eruption in 1772The 1700sPapandayanEarthquakes near PapandayanThis 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 4453.