Tectonic Plates by Name

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Plate colours identify regions, not risk.

Choose a plate

Find a tectonic plate

Start with a plate name, then follow its complete perimeter. Many plate outlines extend far beyond the continent or island group used in their name.

Major plates and smaller plates

Large plates are convenient landmarks, while smaller regions explain much of the detail around island arcs and collision zones. Plate area and earthquake frequency are different measurements.

Why plate counts differ

PB2002 divides the surface into 52 plate regions. Classroom maps often combine several regions, while more detailed research models may separate additional blocks or deformation zones.

Sources and map method

Plate outlines use Peter Bird's PB2002 model, distributed by Nordpil under the Open Data Commons Attribution licence. Coastlines and country outlines are Natural Earth public-domain data. Boundary detail is limited by the source model.

Country lookup compares simplified land outlines with the plate model. Boundaries and historical coastlines are modelled features. This atlas explains geography; it does not predict earthquakes or provide site-specific hazard estimates.

Choose a plate

Pacific Plate Map

North American Plate Map

South American Plate Map

Eurasian Plate Map

African Plate Map

Antarctic Plate Map

Australian Plate Map

Indian Plate Map

Nazca Plate Map

Cocos Plate Map

Caribbean Plate Map

Philippine Sea Plate Map

Arabian Plate Map

Somali Plate Map

Juan de Fuca Plate Map

Find a tectonic plate

Major plates and smaller plates

Why plate counts differ

Follow the connection

Sources and map method