February 2, 1840 Eruption of Gamalama

Name: February 2, 1840 Eruption of Gamalama
Start: 1840-02-02
Location: Gamalama, Indonesia

February 2, 1840 · VEI 3 · 500 houses destroyed

Gamalama in Indonesia erupted on February 2, 1840 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: February 2, 1840
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

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million); Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
Houses destroyed: 500 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused

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.

There was an eruption of the volcano on Ternate Island on February 2, 1840. The eruption was not accompanied by any underground shocks. In the afternoon of the 14th [February], a terrifying rumble was heard and lasted 5-10 minutes. During a terrible downpour, following two light oscillations, a strong shock occurred which knocked over most of the residences. The ground cracked in many places. Water rushed inland and this added to the destruction. (reference #414)

A violent eruption of Gamalama started on 2 February, followed by powerful earthquakes several days later that 'nearly transformed the city into a rubble heap'. (reference #11528)

Reference #10953 indicates damage from eruption

Other significant eruptions of Gamalama

Every eruption in 1840 The 1800s 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 629.