November 16, 2000 Earthquake: New Ireland, Duke of York, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck New Ireland, Duke of York, Papua New Guinea on November 16, 2000 at 04:54:55 UTC, 17 km below the surface. It killed 2 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 16, 2000
- Time
- 04:54:55 UTC
- Place
- New Ireland, Duke of York, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 4.001° S, 152.327° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
One person killed on Duke of York and one killed by a landslide on New Ireland. At least 5,000 people homeless on Bougainville, Buka, Duke of York, New Britain and New Ireland. Extensive damage from the earthquake and tsunami on Duke of York, New Britain and New Ireland. Numerous landslides occurred in southern New Ireland. Tsunami damage also observed along the west coast of Bougainville and on Buka. Also felt on Lihir Island. As much as 2-3 meters of subsidence occurred over several hundred meters at the mouth of the Kamdaru River, New Ireland and seiches up to 1 meter high were observed in water tanks and swimming pools at Rabaul, New Britain. Estimated wave
heights (in meters) were as follows: 3 on Bougainville
and Buka; 3 along the southwestern coast of New Ireland; 1 at Kokopo and Rabaul; 1 in the Trobriand Islands; 1 at Gizo and Noro, Solomon Islands. (reference #1053)
2000, November 16, 04:54:55.87 UTC. 4.001 South, 152.327 East, depth 16.8 km, 8.0 Mw HRV. (reference #9910)
2000, November 16, 04:54:59.27, 4.011 South, 152.254 East, depth 30 km, 8.0 Mw.
(reference #10476)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 28, 1937, Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
- December 22, 1983, Ulawun, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
- January 13, 1941, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- February 4, 1878, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- March 10, 1989, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- September 17, 1994, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- December 12, 1934, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- February 25, 1910, Matupi Harbor, Papua New Guinea
- May 8, 1911, Matupit Island, Papua New Guinea
- May 14, 2019, Rabaul, Duke of York Is, Papua New Guinea
- September 10, 1900, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- August 13, 1967, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 3, 1985, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- April 23, 1953, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
- March 29, 2015, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 2000The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2000Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes 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 earthquake 5581.