Raikoke

Raikoke (, ), also spelled Raykoke, is, as of 2019, a Russian uninhabited volcanic island near the centre of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean, distant from the island of Matua. Its name is derived from the Ainu language, from the Hokkaido Ainu word "hellmouth".

==Geology== Raikoke is roughly circular, with a length of with a width of , and an area of . The island is a stratovolcano, its lava composed primarily of basalt. The cone rises above a submarine terrace with a depth of to a maximum height of above sea level. The steep-walled crater is wide and deep with lava flows extending along the eastern half of the island. The volcano has most recently erupted in 1765, 1778, 1924 and 2019. The 1778 and 1924 Raikoke eruptions were classified on the Volcanic Explosivity Index scale (that ranges from zero to eight) as VEI-4 or greater. For comparison the volcano Anak Krakatoa eruption in 2018 was also rated as a VEI-4 event. The 1778 eruption of Raikoke was the largest of the recent volcanic events destroying the upper third of the island. The only known fatalities from the eruptions was during the 1778 eruption when fifteen were killed from falling lava bombs.