1898 Ambon earthquake

On January 6, 1898, a large earthquake devastated Ambon Island. Damage was easily observed all over the 743km2 island. Photographs taken before and after the event show extensive damage to Fort Victoria Hospital and numerous other buildings (see photos in Naamloze, 1989). The event is not included in any compilations of earthquake events for Indonesia.

Some questions arise from the discovery of these records, such as where the most likely epicenter of the event was, if the location matches any existing data on active faults in the region, and what, if any, was the relationship between this event and another deadly earthquake in Seram in 1899.