Ritter Island
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| Ritter Island | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 140 m (460 ft) |
| Location | Papua New Guinea |
| Prominence | 140 m (460 ft) |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 2006 |
Ritter Island is a small crescent-shaped volcanic island 100 kilometres northeast of New Guinea, situated between Umboi Island and Sakar Island.
There are several recorded eruptions of this basaltic-andesitic stratovolcano prior to a spectacular lateral collapse which took place in 1888. Before that event, it was a circular conical island about 780 meters high.[1] At about 5:30 am local time on 31 March 1888 a large portion of the island, containing perhaps 5 km3 of material slid into the sea during a relatively minor, possibly VEI 2,[2] phreatic eruption. Eyewitnesses at Finschhafen, 100 km to the South, heard explosions and observed an almost imperceptible ash fall. [3] Tsunamis 12-15 metres high were generated by the collapse and devastated nearby islands and the adjacent New Guinea coast killing around 3000 people.[4]
The collapse left a 140 metre high 1900 metre long crescent-shaped island with a steep west-facing enscarpment. At least two small eruptions have occurred offshore since 1888, one in 1972 and another in 1974, which have resulted in the construction of a small submarine edifice within the collapse scar.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Ritter Island
- ^ Ritter Island - Eruptive History. Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ a b Ward, S.N. and Day, S. (2003). "Ritter Island Volcano—lateral collapse and the tsunami of 1888". Geophysical Journal International 154: 891–902. doi:.
- ^ Ritter Island at Volcano World
