1938 Banda Sea earthquake

This oblique-slip event in the Banda Sea, then part of the Dutch East Indies, was assigned a Rossi-Forel intensity of VII, a very strong tremor. It produced tsunamis reaching heights of up to 1.5 metres. Magnitude estimates differ, given as moment magnitude 8.4 in one account and 8.5 in another, and it is described as one of the largest in Indonesian history.

Origin time (UTC)

1938-02-01T19:04

Magnitude

8.5

Magnitude type

mw

Depth (km)

25

Deaths, as sources state them

no one was killed

USGS event page

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/official19380201190422_30

Category: Disasters & Incidents

Tags: oblique-slip, tsunami, indonesia, banda-sea

Coordinates: -5.045, 131.614

Part of Earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 and above since 1900

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