Earthquakes near Pemalang through history

The deadliest was not the strongest: an earthquake on December 2, 1924 (Java: Wonosobo), for which NOAA records 727 deaths. NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes has 12 here, back to 1786. NOAA records deaths in 14 of the events here, 1,471 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 4.5 on July 7, 2024 (7 km ENE of Pekalongan, Indonesia). NOAA’s record here begins in 1786 with an eruption (Dieng Volcanic Complex). 8 of the 12 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here came before 1927. NOAA lists one tsunami from elsewhere that reached the coast within 100 km of Pemalang with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 6.83 m, on July 17, 2006. The deadliest here came on July 17, 2006 from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake (South Of Java): NOAA’s runup records count 200 deaths within 100 km of Pemalang. NOAA lists 11 significant eruptions of one volcano within 100 km of Pemalang. The largest was Dieng Volcanic Complex in 1786, at 2 on the volcanic explosivity index. It killed 38 people by NOAA’s count.

• July 7, 2024Earthquake · M 4.57 km ENE of Pekalongan, IndonesiaUSGS · NOAA NCEI
• July 17, 2006Tsunami · 6.83 m hereSouth Of Java · 200 deaths here (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
• July 23, 1943Earthquake · M 7.487 km SSW of Srandakan, Indonesia · 213 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
• December 2, 1924EarthquakeJava: Wonosobo · 727 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI
• January 4, 1840Earthquake · M 7.0 (est.)Java: PurworejoNOAA NCEI
• 1786Eruption · VEI 2Dieng Volcanic Complex · 38 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia

• An event counts for Pemalang when it began within 100 km of its centre, or 200 km for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more. Damage can reach further.
• USGS counts here start at magnitude 6: the catalogue’s smaller quakes thin out going back, where few instruments listened.
• NOAA lists significant events only: earthquakes that killed, did about $1 million of damage, reached magnitude 7.5 or intensity X, or raised a tsunami, and eruptions and tsunamis by like measures. Magnitudes before 1900 are its estimates from written accounts.
• Deaths are NOAA’s total for each event, wherever people died, its tsunami and fires included. A tsunami counts the dead its runup records give for this place: NOAA’s total for a tsunami includes its source quake’s.
• A tsunami from elsewhere counts where one of its runups killed or rose a metre or more.
• Counted to October 19, 2026, as is the map. The last 30 days ask USGS again.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Earthquakes, live, The world through history