Ritter 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 metres (2,560 ft) high.[1] At about 5:30 am local time on 13 March 1888 a large portion of the island, containing perhaps 5 km3 (1.2 cu mi) of material slid into the sea during a relatively minor, possibly VEI 2,[2] phreatic eruption.Eyewitnesses at Finschhafen, 100 km (62 mi) to the south, heard explosions and observed an almost imperceptible ash fall.[3] Tsunamis 12–15 metres (40–50 ft) high were generated by the collapse and devastated nearby islands and the adjacent New Guinea coast killing around 3,000 people.