PLATE TECTONICS
Major and Minor
WHAT IS
PLATE TECTONICS?
Plate tectonics is a scientific
theory that explains how landforms
are created from the movement of
the Earth. The earth's crust is
broken into Seven large plates and
into several smaller plates.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
These plate locations give us an insight
into other patterns. The locations of
mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches,
ocean floor structures, earthquakes and
volcanos all occur in patterns.
EARTH’S TECTONIC PLATES
EARTH’S TECTONIC PLATES
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES MINOR TECTONIC PLATES
1. Pacific plate 1. Arabian Plate.
2. North American Plate 2. Caribbean Plate.
3. Eurasian Plate 3. Cocos Plate.
4. African Plate 4. Juan de Fuca Plate.
5. Antarctic Plate 5. Nazca Plate.
6. Indo-Australia Plate 6. Philippine Sea Plate.
7. South American Plate 7. Scotia Plate.
8. Indian Plate.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
Pacific Plate
The Pacific major plate is the largest which
underlies the Pacific Ocean. Specifically, it
stretches all the way along the west coast of
North America to the east coast of Japan
and Indonesia
This plate forms most of the Pacific Ring of
Fire which has some of the most violent and
catastrophic earthquakes and volcanoes on
the planet.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
North American Plate
The North American major plate not only
contains the continent of North America but
also part of the Atlantic Ocean.
This plate extends all the way over the
North pole and even contains Siberia and
the northern island of Japan. It also includes
Greenland, Cuba, and the Bahamas.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian major plate consists of most
of Europe, Russia, and parts of Asia. This
plate is sandwiched between the North
American and African Plates on the north
and west sides.
The west side has a divergent boundary
with the North American plate. The south
side of the Eurasian plate neighbors the
Arabian, Indian and Sunda plates.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
African Plate
The African plate contains the whole
continent of Africa as well as the
surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic
Ocean. Oddly, it looks like a larger boundary
of the African continent, itself.
The Somali Plate is positioned along the
East African Rift zone. This developing rift
zone is gradually separating the east part of
the continent.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
Antarctic Plate
The Antarctic plate holds the entire continent
of Antarctica including its surrounding
oceanic crust. This plate is surrounded by
parts of the African, Australian, Pacific, and
South American plates.
Antarctica was once grouped as part of the
supercontinent Gondwana with Australia and
India. But about 100 million years ago,
Antarctica broke apart to its current location
at the south pole.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
Indo-Australia Plate
The Indo-Australia plate is a major plate
combining the Australian and Indian Plates.
But they are widely considered to be two
separate plates.
The Indo-Australia plate stretches from
Australia to India. It also includes the oceanic
crust of the Indian Ocean. The northeast side
of the Australian plate converges with the
Pacific Plate.
MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
South American Plate
The South American plate is a major plate
that includes the continent of South America
and a large portion of the ocean from the
Atlantic Ocean.
On the west side of South America, it
experiences devastating earthquakes due to
the convergent plate tectonic boundaries.
SIZE OF MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
Major Plate Name Continents and Oceans Size (km2)
Pacific Plate Pacific Ocean 102,900,000
United States, Canada,
North American Plate Arctic Ocean, and the 75,900,000
Atlantic Ocean
Eurasian Plate Europe, Russia, and Asia 67,800,000
Africa and the Atlantic
African Plate 61,300,000
Ocean
SIZE OF MAJOR TECTONIC PLATES
Major Plate Name Continents and Oceans Size (km2)
Antarctic Plate Antarctica 60,900,000
Australia, India, Oceania,
Indo-Australia Plate 58,900,000
and the Indian Ocean
South America and the
South American Plate 43,600,000
Atlantic Ocean
