May 19, 2007 Tsunami: Ritter Island, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a volcano and a landslide began at Ritter Island, Papua New Guinea on May 19, 2007. The water rose as high as 10 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- May 19, 2007
- Source
- Ritter Island, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Volcano and landslide
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Maximum water height
- 10 m (32.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 5.520° S, 148.121° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
On 19 May 2007, more than 1,500 people on Umboi moved to higher ground after a tsunami destroyed a boat and 4 houses[...]Reports received by Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO) indicated evidences of high waves around Ritter Island (GVP database). (reference #10848)
On 30 May, RVO reported observations of Ritter Island following reports of a possible eruption and "sea surges" that destroyed homes on 19 May. On the S part of the island, scorched vegetation was observed and dead marine life (mainly reef fish) was seen around the coast line at heights of 4-6 m a.s.l. There was no evidence of fresh volcanic material, but a new landslide scar extended from the upper most part of the island down to sea level. Several more landslide scars were seen on the W wall. The estimated wave surge height resulting from the 19 May event reached 4-10 m, particularly around the S part of the island. Rockfalls continued to produce plumes that could be seen from a distance. (reference #2432, 12818)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritter Island, Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea | 0 | 10 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Umboi Island (Ruk, Rooke, Siassi) | Papua New Guinea | 16 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2007The 2000sTsunamis of Papua New GuineaThe eruptionThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 5758.