The 2000 New Ireland earthquakes occurred off the coast of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea on November 16 and 17. The mainshock was a magnitude 8.0 Mw 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. A 7.8 magnitude 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 5°29′46″S 151°46′52″E / 5.496°S 151.781°E. Another 7.8 magnitude thrust event occurred on November 17 at 21:01 UTC, this time occurring 174 km south west of the initial event at 5°13′59″S 153°06′07″E / 5.233°S 153.102°E in eastern New Britain.