May 19, 2007 Eruption of Ritter Island
Ritter Island in Papua New Guinea erupted on May 19, 2007 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 1. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Ritter Island, Papua New Guinea, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- May 19, 2007
- Volcano
- Ritter Island, stratovolcano
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 1, small (eruption column 100 m to 1 km)
- Killed by
- Avalanche (debris and landslides); Waves or tsunami
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Location
- 5.519° S, 148.115° 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 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)
Other significant eruptions of Ritter Island
More
Every eruption in 2007The 2000sRitter IslandEarthquakes near Ritter IslandThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions 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. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 7524.