1871 Ruang eruption and tsunami
{{Short description|Volcanic eruption and tsunami in Indonesia}}
{{Infobox eruption
|name=1871 Ruang eruption and tsunami
|image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Vulkaan op Poelau Roeang TMnr 60018639.jpg
|volcano=Mount Ruang
|start_date=3 March 1871
|start_time=
|end_date=14 March 1871
|end_time=
|location= Sangihe Islands, Molucca Sea
|coordinates=
|VEI=2
|deaths=416
|map=}}
The 1871 Ruang eruption began on 3 March, and ended on 14 March 1871 at the Ruang volcano in the Molucca Sea, Indonesia. The eruption triggered a locally devastating tsunami measuring {{cvt|25|m}}. It flooded many villages on nearby islands, killing some 400 people.
Eruption
The eruption on 3 March began when volcanic materials began falling from the summit and into the sea. German zoologist and anthropologist Dr. Adolf Bernhard Meyer, an eyewitness to the eruption described Ruang as a conical island rising above the sea. At the time of the eruption, the island was uninhabited. The residents of nearby Tagulandang island however, owned plantations on Ruang island. A strong earthquake and loud rumbling sound occurred at 20:00 local time. Based on examining historical observations of the eruption, Pranantyo and others interpreted it as the partial collapse of the eastern volcanic flank. Simulation of a flank collapse and the triggered tsunami indicate the volume of the slide at {{cvt|0.1|km3}} best fit the historical descriptions of the tsunami heights on nearby islands.{{cite journal |author1=Ignatius R. Pranantyo |author2=Mohammad Heidarzadeh |author3=Phil R. Cummins |title=Complex tsunami hazards in eastern Indonesia from seismic and non-seismic sources: Deterministic modelling based on historical and modern data |journal=Geoscience Letters |date=2021 |volume=8 |issue=8 |page=20 |doi=10.1186/s40562-021-00190-y |bibcode=2021GSL.....8...20P |s2cid=233746800 |url=https://geoscienceletters.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40562-021-00190-y.pdf |doi-access=free }} The Global Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian Institution assigned the eruption Level 2 on the volcanic explosivity index (VEI).{{cite gvp|name=Ruang|vn=267010|access-date=2022-01-23}} Eruptions continued on 9–10 and 14 March.
Tsunami
According to Dr. Meyer, the tsunami caused extreme devastation on Tagulandang island, located next to Ruang, very few homes survived the tsunami.{{cite book|last1=Rowley |first1=G. D.|url = https://archive.org/stream/Ornithologicalm2#page/324/mode/1up | title=Ornithological Miscellany |date=1877|publisher=Taylor and Francis|location=London|pages=324–325|volume=2}} Waves of up to {{cvt|25|m}} swept into the seaside settlements, and inundated {{cvt|180|m}} inland. Two additional tsunami waves struck the coast shortly after. The tsunami destroyed the village of Bahhuas; at least 75 homes were destroyed. Three homes remained at the coast but only one was safe for use; the two other homes suffered major damage. Many homes were overturned or obliterated. A church on the island with thick exterior walls was also demolished. Debris of homes were deposited all over the former settlement.{{cite web |title=Significant Volcanic Eruption |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/volcano/event-more-info/533 |website=ngdc.noaa.gov |publisher=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |access-date=23 January 2022}}{{cite web |title=Tsunami Event Information |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/tsunami/event-more-info/1022 |website=earthquake.usgs.gov |publisher=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |access-date=23 January 2022}}