Sunda Megathrust
Indonesia · subduction interface · 7697.6 km of mapped active fault in 66 traces
background as of 7 November 2026.
consistent with baseline
| Window | the last 30.0 days |
|---|---|
| Earthquakes counted | 0 at M4.5 or above |
| Expected in that window | 1.99 |
What this system normally does
From 1995 to 2025 the catalogue holds 725 earthquakes of M4.5 or larger attributable to this system: about 24.17 a year. That figure is what "elevated" on this page is measured against.
The fault itself
| Mapped length | 7697.6 km |
|---|---|
| Traces | 66 |
| Tectonic setting | subduction interface |
| Slip types | Subduction_Thrust |
| Depth attributed to it | down to 700.0 km |
| Extent | -11.46 to 7.66 latitude, 91.44 to 120.19 longitude |
Recorded history
NOAA's hazard records hold 23 significant earthquakes and 16 tsunamis attributed to this system since 1833.
The deadliest was the 4 January 1907 magnitude 8.2 earthquake (Indonesia: Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus), which killed 2,188 people.
The strongest earthquake on record here was magnitude 8.6, on 28 March 2005 (Indonesia: Sumatera: Sw).
The most recent entry is the 21 November 2022 magnitude 5.6 earthquake (Indonesia: W Java: Cianjur), which killed 635 people.
Across the entries that record a death toll, 8,135 people died.
| Date | What | Where | Toll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January 1907 | magnitude 8.2 earthquake | Indonesia: Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus | 2,188 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 4 January 1907 | tsunami (waves to 15 m) | Nw. Sumatra | 2,188 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 28 March 2005 | magnitude 8.6 earthquake | Indonesia: Sumatera: Sw | 1,319 dead, 300 homes destroyed, $37 million damage |
| 28 March 2005 | tsunami (waves to 4.2 m) | Indonesia | 1,319 dead, 300 homes destroyed, damage over $25 million |
| 16 February 1861 | magnitude 8.5 earthquake | Indonesia: Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I | 1,105 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 16 February 1861 | tsunami (waves to 7 m) | Sw. Sumatra | 1,105 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 17 July 2006 | tsunami (waves to 20.9 m) | South of Java | 802 dead, 1,623 homes destroyed, $55 million damage |
| 17 July 2006 | magnitude 7.7 earthquake | Indonesia: Java | 802 dead, 1,623 homes destroyed, $55 million damage |
| 23 February 1969 | magnitude 7.0 earthquake | Indonesia: Sulawesi: Parasanga, Paletoang | 664 dead, 1,287 homes destroyed, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 23 February 1969 | tsunami (waves to 4 m) | Makassar Strait | 664 dead, 1,287 homes destroyed, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 21 November 2022 | magnitude 5.6 earthquake | Indonesia: W Java: Cianjur | 635 dead, 13,633 homes destroyed, $256 million damage |
| 25 October 2010 | tsunami (waves to 16.9 m) | Sumatra | 431 dead, 700 homes destroyed, $39 million damage |
| 25 October 2010 | magnitude 7.8 earthquake | Indonesia: Sumatra | 431 dead, 700 homes destroyed, $39 million damage |
| 2 June 1994 | magnitude 7.8 earthquake | Indonesia: Java | 238 dead, 1,500 homes destroyed, $2 million damage |
| 2 June 1994 | tsunami (waves to 13.9 m) | South of Java | 238 dead, 1,500 homes destroyed, $2 million damage |
| 23 July 1943 | magnitude 8.1 earthquake | Indonesia: Java: Jogyakarta | 213 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 14 August 1968 | tsunami (waves to 10 m) | Banda Sea | 200 dead, 800 homes destroyed, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 19 August 1977 | magnitude 8.3 earthquake | Indonesia: Sunda Islands | 189 dead, $1 million damage |
| 19 August 1977 | tsunami (waves to 15 m) | Sunda Islands | 189 dead, $1 million damage |
| 14 January 2021 | magnitude 6.2 earthquake | Indonesia: Sulawesi: Mamuju, Majene | 105 dead, 1,150 homes destroyed, $59 million damage |
| 12 September 2007 | magnitude 8.4 earthquake | Indonesia: Sumatra | 25 dead, 56,425 homes destroyed, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 12 September 2007 | tsunami (waves to 5 m) | Sumatra | 25 dead, 56,425 homes destroyed, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 11 April 2012 | magnitude 8.6 earthquake | Indonesia: N Sumatra: off West Coast | 10 dead, damage under $1 million |
| 11 April 2012 | tsunami (waves to 1.1 m) | off W. Coast of N Sumatra | 10 dead, damage under $1 million |
| 1 January 1996 | magnitude 7.9 earthquake | Indonesia: Sulawesi: Minahassa Peninsula, Tolitoli | 9 dead, 400 homes destroyed, $1 million damage |
These are the 25 deadliest and largest of 39 entries. A dash means NOAA recorded no number, not that nobody died. Older entries are fewer because fewer were written down, not because less happened.
Recorded history: NOAA NCEI hazard databases, public domain, retrieved 2026-10-22.
Who to listen to if you live here
BMKG, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency is the agency that tells people on this system what to do. https://www.bmkg.go.id/gempabumi (in Indonesian)
Where these numbers come from
Fault geometry, length and segment counts: GEM Global Active Faults Database (GEM GAF-DB), GEM Foundation, https://github.com/GEMScienceTools/gem-global-active-faults Licence: CC-BY-SA-4.0. Figures derived from it here are offered under the same licence. Earthquake counts, magnitudes and depths: United States Geological Survey, public domain. The activity judgement is ours, computed from those two inputs, and is not a statement by either agency.