November 3, 1872 Eruption of Merapi

Date

November 3, 1872

Volcano

Merapi, stratovolcano

Country

Indonesia

Volcanic Explosivity Index

4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)

Killed by

Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts; Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)

Location

7.540° S, 110.446° E

Deaths

200

Damage

Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

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.

• December 18, 20178 deaths
• February 12, 20131 death
• January 3, 20111 death
• October 26, 2010VEI 4 · 367 deaths · $600 million
• June 14, 2006VEI 1 · 2 deaths
• August 5, 2001VEI 2 · 2 deaths
• November 2000VEI 2 · 1 death
• January 14, 1997VEI 2 · 6 deaths
• November 22, 1994VEI 3 · 66 deaths
• December 31, 1986VEI 2 · 1 death
• November 25, 1976VEI 2 · 29 deaths · 306 houses destroyed
• October 22, 1974VEI 2 · 9 deaths · 6 houses destroyed
• January 7, 1969VEI 2 · 3 deaths
• October 19622 deaths
• May 8, 1961VEI 3 · 6 deaths
• January 18, 1954VEI 2 · 64 deaths · 144 houses destroyed
• February 1932Deaths: few
• December 18, 1930VEI 3 · 1,369 deaths · 1,109 houses destroyed
• July 25, 1920VEI 2 · 35 deaths
• January 30, 1904VEI 2 · 16 deaths
• December 1902VEI 2 · 16 deaths
• April 17, 1872VEI 4 · 170 deaths
• April 15, 1872VEI 4 · 30 deaths · 50 houses destroyed
• December 25, 1832VEI 2 · 32 deaths
• December 27, 1822VEI 3 · 100 deaths
• August 4, 1672VEI 3 · 3,000 deaths
• 1587VEI 4 · Deaths: few

Every eruption in 1872The 1800sMerapiEarthquakes near MerapiThis day in weather history

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 82.