May 8, 1961 Eruption of Merapi

Date

May 8, 1961

Volcano

Merapi, stratovolcano

Country

Indonesia

Volcanic Explosivity Index

3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)

Killed by

Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts

Location

7.540° S, 110.446° E

Deaths

6

Injuries

6

Damage

Moderate (about $1 to $5 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
• 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
• November 3, 1872VEI 4 · 200 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 1961The 1900sMerapiEarthquakes 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 104.