2000 New Ireland earthquakes

2000 New Ireland earthquakes
Date November 16, 2000 (2000-11-16)
Magnitude 8.0 Mw
Depth 33 kilometres (21 mi)
Countries or regions  Papua New Guinea
Tsunami Yes
Casualties 2 killed

The 2000 New Ireland earthquakes were a series of large earthquakes that occurred off the coast of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea on November 16 and 17, 2000.

The mainshock was a magnitude 8.0 Mw [1] strike-slip event that occurred on November 16 at 04:54 UTC, and ruptured a section of the transform boundary between the north and south Bismarck plates.[2] A 7.8 magnitude [3] thrust earthquake followed at 07:42 UTC with its epicenter 175 km south of the first earthquake at the southern end of its rupture zone at . Another 7.8 magnitude [4] thrust event occurred on November 17 at 21:01 UTC, this time occurring 174 km south west of the initial event at in eastern New Britain.[5]

This sequence of earthquakes killed 2 people, and triggered landslides in southern New Ireland. Damage caused by the events and the following tsunami occurred in New Britain, Duke of York Island, western Bougainville and Buka. [6] The magnitude 8.0 event was the largest earthquake to occur in the world during 2000. [7]

References

  1. ^ Magnitude 8.0 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. United States Geological Survey
  2. ^ The New Ireland earthquakes of November 16, 2000, and the tsunami generated by the earthquake
  3. ^ Magnitude 7.8 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. United States Geological Survey
  4. ^ Magnitude 7.8 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. United States Geological Survey
  5. ^ Triggering of tsunamigenic aftershocks from large strike-slip earthquakes: Analysis of the November 2000 New Ireland earthquake sequence
  6. ^ Significant Earthquakes of the World 2000
  7. ^ Magnitude 7 and Greater Earthquakes in 2000
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