November 16, 2000 Earthquake: New Ireland, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck New Ireland, New Britain, Papua New Guinea on November 16, 2000 at 07:42:16 UTC, 30 km below the surface.
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
- 07:42:16 UTC
- Place
- New Ireland, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 30 km (19 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 5.233° S, 153.102° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
Additional damage on New Ireland, Bougainville and in eastern New Britain. Complex earthquake. A small event is followed by a larger one about 10 seconds later. Depth based on larger event. (Reference #1053)
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
- July 14, 1971, Bougainville, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- November 16, 2000, New Ireland, Duke of York, Papua New Guinea
- March 10, 1989, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- February 4, 1878, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- March 6, 1938, Papua New Guinea
- October 10, 1955, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- February 12, 1968, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- July 26, 1971, Bismarck Sea Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
- July 13, 2017, Papua New Guinea
- June 22, 1768, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- March 18, 1983, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- June 23, 2009, Solomon Sea, 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 5582.