We present observations of two sequential substorm onsets on May 15, 1996. The first event occurred during persistently negative IMF BZ, whereas the second expansion followed a northward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). While the first onset remained localized, the second event led to a major reconfiguration of the magnetotail. The two very different events are contrasted, and it is suggested that the IMF direction controls the evolution of the expansion phase after the initial onset. Magnetic field modeling and field-aligned mappings are used to find the high-altitude source region of the auroral features and currents giving rise to ground magnetic disturbances: It is shown that the auroral brightening is related to processes near the inner edge of the plasma sheet but that the initial field-aligned currents couple to the midtail region. Ground magnetograms show an abrupt, large-scale weakening of the electrojet during the recovery phase. This event is followed by eastward drifting omega bands in a double-oval configuration. During that period, the Geotail plasma data show oscillations at <100 km/s amplitude. We argue that both these features are connected with the global tail evolution as the neutral line ceases to be active and reforms in the distant tail. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union