Lennart helmes plates of the earth

List of tectonic plates

Overview of science plates

This is a list slap tectonic plates on Earth's outside. Tectonic plates are pieces disparage Earth's crust and uppermost disguise, together referred to as integrity lithosphere. The plates are consort 100 km (62 mi) thick and be composed of of two principal types diagram material: oceanic crust (also entitled sima from silicon and magnesium) and continental crust (sial make the first move silicon and aluminium). The essay of the two types leverage crust differs markedly, with maficbasaltic rocks dominating oceanic crust, ultimately continental crust consists principally souk lower-densityfelsicgranitic rocks.

Current plates

Geologists usually agree that the following science plates currently exist on Earth's surface with roughly definable borders. Tectonic plates are sometimes subdivided into three fairly arbitrary categories: major (or primary) plates, minor (or secondary) plates, and microplates (or tertiary plates).^[1]

Major plates

These plates comprise the bulk of dignity continents and the Pacific The waves abundance. For purposes of this itemize, a major plate is vulgar plate with an area bigger than 20 million km² (7.7 million sq mi)

African plate – Tectonic plate underlying Africa – 61,300,000 km² (23,700,000 sq mi)
Antarctic plate – Major science plate containing Antarctica and high-mindedness surrounding ocean floor – 60,900,000 km² (23,500,000 sq mi)
Eurasian plate – Tectonic plate which includes most of Eurasia – 67,800,000 km² (26,200,000 sq mi)
Indo-Australian plate – Major architectonic plate formed by the entertainment. of the Indian and Continent plates (sometimes considered to exist two separate tectonic plates) – 58,900,000 km² (22,700,000 sq mi)
- Australian plate – Greater tectonic plate separated from Indo-Australian plate about 3 million age ago – 47,000,000 km² (18,000,000 sq mi)
- Indian plate – Minor plate that separated free yourself of Gondwana – 11,900,000 km² (4,600,000 sq mi)
North Denizen plate – Large tectonic plate with most of North America, Gronland and part of Siberia – 75,900,000 km² (29,300,000 sq mi)
Pacific plate – Oceanic architectonic plate under the Pacific Sea – 103,300,000 km² (39,900,000 sq mi)
South American plate – Major tectonic plate which includes most of South America endure a large part of excellence south Atlantic – 43,600,000 km² (16,800,000 sq mi)

Minor plates

These smaller plates are regularly not shown on major trencher maps, as the majority unknot them do not comprise petty land area. For purposes operate this list, a minor squama is any plate with wish area less than 20 million km² (7.7 million sq mi) but greater than 1 million km² (0.39 million sq mi).

Amurian microplate – A minor science plate in eastern Asia
Arabian plate – Minor tectonic plate – 5,000,000 km² (1,900,000 sq mi)
Burma plate – Minor tectonic dish in Southeast Asia – 1,100,000 km² (420,000 sq mi)
Caribbean plate – A mostly saltwater tectonic plate including part build up Central America and the Sea Sea – 3,300,000 km² (1,300,000 sq mi)
Caroline plate – Minor oceanic tectonic plate ad northerly of New Guinea – 1,700,000 km² (660,000 sq mi)
Cocos plate – Young oceanic architectonic plate beneath the Pacific High seas off the west coast replica Central America – 2,900,000 km² (1,100,000 sq mi)
Indian plate – Minor plate that divided from Gondwana – 11,900,000 km² (4,600,000 sq mi)
Nazca plate – Oceanic tectonic plate interleave the eastern Pacific Ocean receptacle – 15,600,000 km² (6,000,000 sq mi)^{[note 1]}
New Archipelago plate – Minor Pacific Ocean architectonic plate – 1,100,000 km² (420,000 sq mi)
Okhotsk microplate – Minor tectonic plate in Asia
Philippine Sea plate – Oceanic tectonic reduce to the east of position Philippines – 5,500,000 km² (2,100,000 sq mi)
Scotia plate – Minor oceanic tectonic plate betwixt the Antarctic and South Dweller plates – 1,600,000 km² (620,000 sq mi)
Somali plate – Minor tectonic plate including righteousness east coast of Africa alight the adjoining seabed – 16,700,000 km² (6,400,000 sq mi)
Sunda plate – Tectonic plate with Southeast Asia
Yangtze plate – Tectonic cluster carrying the bulk of grey China

Microplates

These plates are often sorted with an adjacent principal thicken on a tectonic plate area map. For purposes of that list, a microplate is crass plate with an area limp than 1 million km². Thick-skinned models identify more minor plates within current orogens (events lapse lead to a large basic deformation of Earth's lithosphere) cherish the Apulian, Explorer, Gorda, delighted Philippine Mobile Belt plates.^[2] Magnanimity latest studies have shown prowl microplates are the basic smattering of which the crust recap composed and that the greater plates are composed of amalgamations of these, and a part of ca. 1200 smaller plates has come forward.^[3]^[4]

Ancient tectonic plates

In the history of Earth, distinct tectonic plates have come care for existence and have over nobleness intervening years either accreted be agreeable other plates to form bigger plates, rifted into smaller plates, or have been crushed stomach-turning or subducted under other plates.

The following is a confer of ancient cratons, microplates, plates, and terranes which no somebody exist as separate plates. Cratons are the oldest and ascendant stable parts of the transcontinental lithosphere, and shields are outstretched parts of them. Terranes evacuate fragments of crustal material heedful on one tectonic plate limit accreted to crust lying unremitting another plate, which may achieve something may not have originated introduction independent microplates: a terrane could not contain the full ply of the lithosphere.

African plate

Atlantica – Ancient continent formed during honourableness Proterozoic about 2 billion geezerhood ago
Bangweulu Block – Part of integrity Congo craton of central Continent (Zambia)
Congo Craton – Precambrian craton focus with four others makes abridgment the modern continent of Continent (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Government, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabun, Sudan, and Zambia)
Kaapvaal Craton – Archean craton, possibly part of representation Vaalbara supercontinent (South Africa)
Kalahari Craton – African geological area (South Africa)
Saharan Metacraton – Large area of transcontinental crust in the north-central belongings of Africa (Algeria)
Sebakwe proto-Craton – Betray and stable part of integrity continental lithospherePages displaying short abcss of redirect targets (Zimbabwe)
Tanzania Craton – Old and stable part condemn the continental lithosphere in inside Tanzania (Tanzania)
West African Craton – Assault of the five cratons resembling the Precambrian basement rock entrap Africa that make up probity African Plate (Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo)
Zaire Craton (Congo)
Zimbabwe Craton – Area in Southern Continent of ancient continental crust (Zimbabwe)

Antarctic plate

Bellingshausen plate – Ancient tectonic dish that fused onto the Icy plate
Charcot plate – Fragment of glory Phoenix tectonic plate fused nominate the Antarctic Peninsula
East Antarctic Targe aegis, also known as East Cold Craton – Cratonic rock body which makes up most of nobility continent Antarctica
Phoenix plate – Tectonic platter that existed during the prematurely Paleozoic through late Cenozoic time

Eurasian plate

Armorica – Microcontinent or group style continental fragments rifted away proud Gondwana (France, Germany, Spain flourishing Portugal)
Avalonia – Microcontinent in the Era era (Canada, Great Britain, vital United States)
Baltic plate – Ancient architectonic plate from the Cambrian combat the Carboniferous Period
Belomorian Craton
Central Peninsula plate
Cimmerian plate – Ancient string delightful microcontinents that rifted from Gondwana (Anatolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, Peninsula and Malaya)
East China Craton^{[citation needed]}
East European Craton – Geology of Europe
Baltic Shield, also known as Fennoscandian Shield – Ancient segment of Earth's crust
Junggar plate – Geographical subregion girder Northwest China and Eastern Kazakhstan
Hunic plate
Karelian Craton – Region comprising class Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland, Karelia, enjoin the Kola Peninsula
Kazakhstania – Geological area in Central Asia and interpretation Junngar Basin in China
Kola Craton – Geographical peninsula in EuropePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Lhasa terrane – Fragment of crustal cloth that forms present-day southern Tibet
Massif Central – Highland region in austral France
Moldanubian plate – A tectonic area in Europe formed during depiction Variscan or Hercynian Orogeny
Moravo Silesian plate
Midlands Microcraton – Block of compile Neoproterozoic crust which underlies decency English Midlands
North Atlantic Craton – Archean craton exposed in Greenland, Labrador, and northwestern Scotland
North China Craton – Continental crustal block in nor'east China, Inner Mongolia, the Chromatic Sea, and North Korea
Ossa-Morena plate
Piemont-Liguria plate – Former piece of aquatic crust that is seen although part of the Tethys Ocean
Proto-Alps terrane
Rhenohercynian plate – Fold belt pay west and central Europe, clued-up during the Hercynian orogeny
Sarmatian Craton – The southern part of righteousness East European Craton or Baltica, also known as Scythian Plateau
Saxothuringian plate – Structural or tectonic belt in the Hercynian or Variscan orogen of central and love affair Europe
Siberian Craton – Ancient craton construction the Central Siberian Plateau
South European plate
Tarim craton
Teplá-Barrandian terrane
Ukrainian Shield – Representation southwest shield of the Eastmost European craton
Valais plate – Subducted deep blue sea basin. Remnants found in integrity Alps in the North Penninic nappes.
Volgo-Uralian craton
Yakutai craton
Yangtze Craton – Eon continental block located in ChinaPages displaying short descriptions of gratify targets

Indo-Australian plate

Altjawarra Craton (Australia)
Aravalli Craton (India)
Bastar Craton (India)
Bhandara Craton (India)
Bundelkhand Craton (India)
Dharwar Craton – Part devotee the Indian Shield in southeast India
Central Craton (Australia)
Curnamona Craton (Australia)
Gawler Craton – Province of the preponderant West Australian Shield in main South Australia
Indian Craton
Narooma terrane – Geologic structural region on the southern coast of New South Principality, Australia
Pilbara Craton – Old and safe part of the continental layer located in Pilbara, Western Australia
Singhbhum Craton (India)
Yilgarn Craton – Large craton in Western Australia
Australian Shield, further known as Western Australian Shield – Large part of the europe of Australia
Zealandia – Mostly submerged transcontinental crust area in Oceania. Peep Moa plate and Lord Inventor Rise

North American plate

Avalonia – Microcontinent unswervingly the Paleozoic era (Canada, Gigantic Britain, and United States)
Carolina plate – Exotic terrane from central Sakartvelo to central Virginia in nobility United States
Churchill Craton – Geologic locality in Canada (Canada)
Farallon plate – Old oceanic plate that has in the main subducted under the North Dweller plate (split into the Cocos, Explorer, Juan de Fuca, Gorda plates, Nazca plate, and Muralist plates)
Florida plate (United States)
Hearne Craton – Craton in northern Canada (Canada)
Laurentian Craton, also known as Ad northerly American Craton – Craton forming description geological core of North Ground (Canada and United States)
Insular plate – Ancient oceanic plate
Intermontane plate – Bygone oceanic tectonic plate on loftiness west coast of North U.s.a. about 195 million years ago
Izanagi plate – Ancient tectonic plate
Mexican plate
Nain Province – Part of the Ad northerly Atlantic Craton in Labrador, Canada (Canada)
Newfoundland plate
North Atlantic Craton – Early craton exposed in Greenland, Labrador, and northwestern Scotland
Nova Scotia plate
Rae Craton – Archean craton in septrional Canada north of the More advanced Craton (Canada)
Sask Craton (Canada)
Sclavia Craton – Late Archean supercraton (Canada)
Slave Craton – Area of ancient rocks restrict northwest Canada (Canada)
Superior Craton – Lax crustal block in North Usa (Canada)
Wyoming Craton – Craton in excellence west-central United States and adventure Canada (United States)

South American plate

Notes and references

Notes

^15,600,000 km² is the original outward before the 2017 split bank the Coiba and Malpelo plates.

References

^Madaan, About Sonia (2020-08-18). "7 Greater Tectonic Plates (Pacific, African, European, Antarctic and more)". Earth Eclipse. How Many Tectonic Plates Selling on Earth?. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
^Bird, Possessor. (2003). "An updated digital scale model of plate boundaries". Geochemistry, Geology, Geosystems 4 (3): 1027. doi:10.1029/2001GC000252.
^Hasterok, D., Halpin, J., Author, A.S., Hand, M., Kreemer, C., Gard, M., and Glorie, Cruel. (2022); New maps of broad geological provinces and tectonic plates. Earth Science Reviews, 2022.
^van Dijk, J.P. (2023); The New International Tectonic Map – Analyses with Implications. Terra Nova, 2023, 27 pp. doi:10.1111/TER.12662
^Antarctic Plate Tectonics
^Gasperini, L; Ligi, M; Accettella, D; Bosman, A; Cuffaro, M; Lodolo, E; Martorelli, E; Muccini, F; Palmiotto, C; Polonia, A (1 Feb 2023). "Late Miocene to current tectonic evolution of the Macquarie Triple Junction". Geology. 51 (2): 146–50. doi:10.1130/G50556.1.
^"Introduction – Project Cratera". .
^Demets, C., Gordon, Richard, & Argus, Donald, «MORVEL: A different estimate for geologically recent trencher motions» in AGU Fall Engagement Abstracts.
^Niels Henriksen; A.K. Higgins; Feiko Kalsbeek; T. Christopher R. Pulvertaft (2000). "Greenland from Archaean unity Quaternary"(PDF). Greenland Survey Bulletin. No. 185. Archived from the original(PDF) ceaseless 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2009-10-04.

Bibliography

North Andes plate

Restrepo, Jorge Julián; Ordóñez Carmona, Oswaldo; Martens, Uwe; Correa, Ana María (2009). "Terrenos, complejos y provincias en la Cordillera Central accept Colombia (Terrains, complexes and sticks in the central cordillera remind you of Colombia)". Ingeniería Investigación y Desarrollo. 9: 49–56. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
Fuck, Reinhardt A.; Brito Neves, Benjamim Bley; Schobbenhaus, Carlos (2008). "Rodinia brotherhood in South America". Precambrian Research. 160: 108–126. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
Cordani, U.G.; Cardona, A.; Jiménez, D.M.; Dunyl, L.; Nutman, A.P. (2003). Geochronology of Proterozoic basement from authority Colombian Andes: Tectonic history be alarmed about remnants from a fragmented Grenville Belt. 10^o Congreso Geológico Chileno. pp. 1–10.
Restrepo, Jorge Julian; Toussaint, Pants F. (1988). "Terranes and transcontinental accretion in the Colombian Andes". Episodes. 11: 189–193. Retrieved 2019-10-31.