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Available in 50 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-50" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">50 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%A9_%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9" title="صفيحة أمريكا الشمالية – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="صفيحة أمريكا الشمالية" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placa_norteamericana" title="Placa norteamericana – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Placa norteamericana" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Eimali_Amerika_plit%C9%99si" title="Şimali Amerika plitəsi – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Şimali Amerika plitəsi" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C_%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7_%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%AD%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B3%DB%8C" title="شومالی آمریکا صفحه‌سی – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="شومالی آمریکا صفحه‌سی" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B0%D1%9E%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%90%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BF%D0%BB%D1%96%D1%82%D0%B0" title="Паўночна-Амерыканская пліта – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Паўночна-Амерыканская пліта" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B0" title="Северноамериканска плоча – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Северноамериканска плоча" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placa_nord-americana" title="Placa nord-americana – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Placa nord-americana" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severoamerick%C3%A1_deska" title="Severoamerická deska – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Severoamerická deska" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_Nordamerikanske_Kontinentalplade" title="Den Nordamerikanske Kontinentalplade – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Den Nordamerikanske Kontinentalplade" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordamerikanische_Platte" title="Nordamerikanische Platte – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Nordamerikanische Platte" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%B5hja-Ameerika_laam" title="Põhja-Ameerika laam – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Põhja-Ameerika laam" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%92%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BF-%CE%91%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE_%CF%80%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%B1" title="Βορειο-Αμερικανική πλάκα – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Βορειο-Αμερικανική πλάκα" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placa_norteamericana" title="Placa norteamericana – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Placa norteamericana" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordamerika_plato" title="Nordamerika plato – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Nordamerika plato" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipar_Amerikako_plaka" title="Ipar Amerikako plaka – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Ipar Amerikako plaka" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%AD%D9%87_%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7%DB%8C_%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C" title="صفحه آمریکای شمالی – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="صفحه آمریکای شمالی" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaque_nord-am%C3%A9ricaine" title="Plaque nord-américaine – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Plaque nord-américaine" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-gl mw-list-item"><a href="https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placa_norteamericana" title="Placa norteamericana – Galician" lang="gl" hreflang="gl" data-title="Placa norteamericana" data-language-autonym="Galego" data-language-local-name="Galician" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Galego</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%B6%81%EC%95%84%EB%A9%94%EB%A6%AC%EC%B9%B4%ED%8C%90" title="북아메리카판 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="북아메리카판" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%9F" title="उत्तर अमेरिकी प्लेट – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="उत्तर अमेरिकी प्लेट" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjevernoameri%C4%8Dka_plo%C4%8Da" title="Sjevernoamerička ploča – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Sjevernoamerička ploča" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lempeng_Amerika_Utara" title="Lempeng Amerika Utara – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Lempeng Amerika Utara" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placca_nordamericana" title="Placca nordamericana – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Placca nordamericana" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%97_%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%90%D7%99" title="הלוח הצפון-אמריקאי – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="הלוח הצפון-אמריקאי" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sw mw-list-item"><a href="https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamba_la_Amerika_ya_Kaskazini" title="Bamba la Amerika ya Kaskazini – Swahili" lang="sw" hreflang="sw" data-title="Bamba la Amerika ya Kaskazini" data-language-autonym="Kiswahili" data-language-local-name="Swahili" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kiswahili</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89szak-amerikai-lemez" title="Észak-amerikai-lemez – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Észak-amerikai-lemez" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%9F%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B0" title="Северноамериканска Плоча – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Северноамериканска Плоча" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plat_Amerika_Utara" title="Plat Amerika Utara – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Plat Amerika Utara" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noord-Amerikaanse_Plaat" title="Noord-Amerikaanse Plaat – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Noord-Amerikaanse Plaat" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%97%E3%82%A2%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%82%AB%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88" title="北アメリカプレート – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="北アメリカプレート" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_nordamerikanske_kontinentalplaten" title="Den nordamerikanske kontinentalplaten – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Den nordamerikanske kontinentalplaten" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_nordamerikanske_plata" title="Den nordamerikanske plata – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Den nordamerikanske plata" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-oc mw-list-item"><a href="https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placa_n%C3%B2rdamericana" title="Placa nòrdamericana – Occitan" lang="oc" hreflang="oc" data-title="Placa nòrdamericana" data-language-autonym="Occitan" data-language-local-name="Occitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Occitan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uz mw-list-item"><a href="https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimoliy_amerika_platformasi" title="Shimoliy amerika platformasi – Uzbek" lang="uz" hreflang="uz" data-title="Shimoliy amerika platformasi" data-language-autonym="Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча" data-language-local-name="Uzbek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%82yta_p%C3%B3%C5%82nocnoameryka%C5%84ska" title="Płyta północnoamerykańska – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Płyta północnoamerykańska" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placa_norte-americana" title="Placa norte-americana – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Placa norte-americana" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BE-%D0%90%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0" title="Северо-Американская плита – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Северо-Американская плита" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_plate" title="North American plate – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="North American plate" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severoamerick%C3%A1_plat%C5%88a" title="Severoamerická platňa – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Severoamerická platňa" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severnoameri%C5%A1ka_plo%C5%A1%C4%8Da" title="Severnoameriška plošča – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Severnoameriška plošča" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-so mw-list-item"><a href="https://so.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagooyinka_Maraykanka_deganka" title="Wagooyinka Maraykanka deganka – Somali" lang="so" hreflang="so" data-title="Wagooyinka Maraykanka deganka" data-language-autonym="Soomaaliga" data-language-local-name="Somali" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Soomaaliga</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B0" title="Северноамеричка плоча – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Северноамеричка плоча" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjevernoameri%C4%8Dka_plo%C4%8Da" title="Sjevernoamerička ploča – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Sjevernoamerička ploča" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a 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class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Large tectonic plate including most of North America, Greenland and part of Siberia</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="background-color: #e7dcc3;">North American plate</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:NorthAmericanPlate.png" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Map of the North American plate" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/NorthAmericanPlate.png/280px-NorthAmericanPlate.png" decoding="async" width="280" height="300" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/NorthAmericanPlate.png/420px-NorthAmericanPlate.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/NorthAmericanPlate.png/560px-NorthAmericanPlate.png 2x" data-file-width="1400" data-file-height="1500" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Type</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates#Major_plates" title="List of tectonic plates">Major</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Approximate area</th><td class="infobox-data">75,900,000 km<sup>2</sup> (29,300,000 sq mi)<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Movement<sup>1</sup></th><td class="infobox-data">west</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Speed<sup>1</sup></th><td class="infobox-data">15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in)/year</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Features</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America">North America</a>, <a href="/wiki/Greenland" title="Greenland">Greenland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bering_Sea" title="Bering Sea">Bering Sea</a>, <a href="/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean" title="Atlantic Ocean">Atlantic Ocean</a>, northern <a href="/wiki/Caribbean" title="Caribbean">Caribbean</a>, <a href="/wiki/Arctic_Ocean" title="Arctic Ocean">Arctic Ocean</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Alaska" title="Gulf of Alaska">Gulf of Alaska</a>, <a href="/wiki/Russian_Far_East" title="Russian Far East">Russian Far East</a> (i.e. part of <a href="/wiki/Siberia" title="Siberia">Siberia</a>), <a href="/wiki/Azores" title="Azores">Azores</a> (part of), <a href="/wiki/Iceland" title="Iceland">Iceland</a> (part of, also on <a href="/wiki/Eurasian_plate" title="Eurasian plate">Eurasian plate</a>)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><sup>1</sup>Relative to the <a href="/wiki/African_plate" title="African plate">African plate</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The <b>North American plate</b> is a <a href="/wiki/Plate_tectonics" title="Plate tectonics">tectonic plate</a> containing most of <a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America">North America</a>, <a href="/wiki/Cuba" title="Cuba">Cuba</a>, <a href="/wiki/The_Bahamas" title="The Bahamas">the Bahamas</a>, extreme northeastern <a href="/wiki/Asia" title="Asia">Asia</a>, and parts of <a href="/wiki/Iceland" title="Iceland">Iceland</a> and <a href="/wiki/Azores" title="Azores">the Azores</a>. With an area of 76 million km<sup>2</sup> (29 million sq mi), it is the Earth's second largest tectonic plate, behind the <a href="/wiki/Pacific_plate" title="Pacific plate">Pacific plate</a> (which borders the plate to the west). </p><p>It extends eastward to the seismically active <a href="/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Ridge" title="Mid-Atlantic Ridge">Mid-Atlantic Ridge</a> at the <a href="/wiki/Azores_triple_junction" title="Azores triple junction">Azores triple junction</a> <a href="/wiki/Plate_boundary" class="mw-redirect" title="Plate boundary">plate boundary</a> where it meets the <a href="/wiki/Eurasian_plate" title="Eurasian plate">Eurasian plate</a> and <a href="/wiki/Nubian_plate" class="mw-redirect" title="Nubian plate">Nubian plate</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and westward to the <a href="/wiki/Chersky_Range" title="Chersky Range">Chersky Range</a> in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both <a href="/wiki/Continental_crust" title="Continental crust">continental</a> and <a href="/wiki/Oceanic_crust" title="Oceanic crust">oceanic crust</a>. The interior of the main continental landmass includes an extensive <a href="/wiki/Granite" title="Granite">granitic</a> core called a <a href="/wiki/Craton" title="Craton">craton</a>. Along most of the edges of this craton are fragments of crustal material called <a href="/wiki/Terrane" title="Terrane">terranes</a>, which are <a href="/wiki/Accretion_(geology)" title="Accretion (geology)">accreted</a> to the craton by tectonic actions over a long span of time. Much of North America west of the <a href="/wiki/Rocky_Mountains" title="Rocky Mountains">Rocky Mountains</a> is composed of such terranes. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Boundaries">Boundaries</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=North_American_plate&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Boundaries"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The southern boundary with the <a href="/wiki/Cocos_plate" title="Cocos plate">Cocos plate</a> to the west and the <a href="/wiki/Caribbean_plate" title="Caribbean plate">Caribbean plate</a> to the east is a <a href="/wiki/Transform_fault" title="Transform fault">transform fault</a>, represented by the <a href="/wiki/Swan_Islands_Transform_Fault" title="Swan Islands Transform Fault">Swan Islands Transform Fault</a> under the <a href="/wiki/Caribbean_Sea" title="Caribbean Sea">Caribbean Sea</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Motagua_Fault" title="Motagua Fault">Motagua Fault</a> through <a href="/wiki/Guatemala" title="Guatemala">Guatemala</a>. The parallel <a href="/wiki/Septentrional-Oriente_fault_zone" class="mw-redirect" title="Septentrional-Oriente fault zone">Septentrional</a> and <a href="/wiki/Enriquillo%E2%80%93Plantain_Garden_fault_zone" title="Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone">Enriquillo–Plantain Garden faults</a> running through <a href="/wiki/Hispaniola" title="Hispaniola">Hispaniola</a> and bounding the <a href="/wiki/Gon%C3%A2ve_microplate" title="Gonâve microplate">Gonâve microplate</a>, and the parallel <a href="/wiki/Puerto_Rico_Trench" title="Puerto Rico Trench">Puerto Rico Trench</a> running north of <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Puerto_Rico" title="Geography of Puerto Rico">Puerto Rico</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Virgin_Islands" title="Virgin Islands">Virgin Islands</a> and bounding the <a href="/wiki/Puerto_Rico%E2%80%93Virgin_Islands_microplate" title="Puerto Rico–Virgin Islands microplate">Puerto Rico–Virgin Islands microplate</a>, are also a part of the boundary. The rest of the southerly margin which extends east to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and marks the boundary between the North American plate and the <a href="/wiki/South_American_plate" title="South American plate">South American plate</a> is vague but located near the <a href="/wiki/Fifteen-Twenty_fracture_zone" title="Fifteen-Twenty fracture zone">Fifteen-Twenty fracture zone</a> around 16°N. </p><p>On the northerly boundary is a continuation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge called the <a href="/wiki/Gakkel_Ridge" title="Gakkel Ridge">Gakkel Ridge</a>. The rest of the boundary in the far northwestern part of the plate extends into <a href="/wiki/Siberia" title="Siberia">Siberia</a>. This boundary continues from the end of the Gakkel Ridge as the <a href="/wiki/Laptev_Sea_Rift" title="Laptev Sea Rift">Laptev Sea Rift</a>, on to a transitional deformation zone in the <a href="/wiki/Chersky_Range" title="Chersky Range">Chersky Range</a>, then the <a href="/wiki/Ulakhan_Fault" title="Ulakhan Fault">Ulakhan Fault</a> between it and the <a href="/wiki/Okhotsk_microplate" title="Okhotsk microplate">Okhotsk microplate</a>, and finally the <a href="/wiki/Aleutian_Trench" title="Aleutian Trench">Aleutian Trench</a> to the end of the <a href="/wiki/Queen_Charlotte_Fault" title="Queen Charlotte Fault">Queen Charlotte Fault</a> system (see also: <a href="/wiki/Aleutian_Arc" title="Aleutian Arc">Aleutian Arc</a>). </p><p>The westerly boundary is the Queen Charlotte Fault running offshore along the coast of <a href="/wiki/Alaska" title="Alaska">Alaska</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone" title="Cascadia subduction zone">Cascadia subduction zone</a> to the north, the <a href="/wiki/San_Andreas_Fault" title="San Andreas Fault">San Andreas Fault</a> through <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a>, the <a href="/wiki/East_Pacific_Rise" title="East Pacific Rise">East Pacific Rise</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_California" title="Gulf of California">Gulf of California</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Middle_America_Trench" title="Middle America Trench">Middle America Trench</a> to the south. </p><p>On its western edge, the <a href="/wiki/Farallon_plate" title="Farallon plate">Farallon plate</a> has been <a href="/wiki/Subduction" title="Subduction">subducting</a> under the North American plate since the <a href="/wiki/Jurassic" title="Jurassic">Jurassic</a> period. The Farallon plate has almost completely subducted beneath the western portion of the North American plate, leaving that part of the North American plate in contact with the Pacific plate as the San Andreas Fault. The <a href="/wiki/Juan_de_Fuca_plate" title="Juan de Fuca plate">Juan de Fuca</a>, <a href="/wiki/Explorer_plate" title="Explorer plate">Explorer</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gorda_plate" title="Gorda plate">Gorda</a>, <a href="/wiki/Rivera_plate" title="Rivera plate">Rivera</a>, <a href="/wiki/Cocos_plate" title="Cocos plate">Cocos</a> and <a href="/wiki/Nazca_plate" title="Nazca plate">Nazca</a> plates are remnants of the Farallon plate. The boundary along the Gulf of California is complex. The gulf is underlain by the <a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_California_Rift_Zone" title="Gulf of California Rift Zone">Gulf of California Rift Zone</a>, a series of <a href="/wiki/Rift" title="Rift">rift</a> basins and transform fault segments from the northern end of the East Pacific Rise in the mouth of the gulf to the San Andreas Fault system in the vicinity of the <a href="/wiki/Salton_Sink" title="Salton Sink">Salton Trough</a> rift/<a href="/wiki/Brawley_Seismic_Zone" title="Brawley Seismic Zone">Brawley seismic zone</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is generally accepted that a piece of the North American plate was broken off and transported north as the East Pacific Rise propagated northward, creating the Gulf of California. However, it is as yet unclear whether the oceanic crust between the rise and the mainland coast of Mexico is actually a new plate beginning to converge with the North American plate, consistent with the standard model of rift zone spreading centers generally.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (April 2010)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Hotspots">Hotspots</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=North_American_plate&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Hotspots"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A few <a href="/wiki/Hotspot_(geology)" title="Hotspot (geology)">hotspots</a> are thought to exist below the North American plate. The most notable hotspots are the <a href="/wiki/Yellowstone_hotspot" title="Yellowstone hotspot">Yellowstone</a> (Wyoming), <a href="/wiki/Jemez_Lineament" title="Jemez Lineament">Jemez Lineament</a> (New Mexico), and <a href="/wiki/Anahim_hotspot" title="Anahim hotspot">Anahim</a> (British Columbia) hotspots. These are thought to be caused by a narrow stream of hot <a href="/wiki/Mantle_(geology)" title="Mantle (geology)">mantle</a> convecting up from the Earth's <a href="/wiki/Core%E2%80%93mantle_boundary" title="Core–mantle boundary">core–mantle boundary</a> called a <a href="/wiki/Mantle_plume" title="Mantle plume">mantle plume</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-GH_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GH-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> although some geologists think that <a href="/wiki/Upper_mantle_(Earth)" class="mw-redirect" title="Upper mantle (Earth)">upper mantle</a> convection is a more likely cause.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Yellowstone and Anahim hotspots are thought to have first arrived during the <a href="/wiki/Miocene" title="Miocene">Miocene</a> period and are still geologically active, creating earthquakes and volcanoes. The Yellowstone hotspot is most notable for the <a href="/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera" title="Yellowstone Caldera">Yellowstone Caldera</a> and the many <a href="/wiki/Caldera" title="Caldera">calderas</a> that lie in the <a href="/wiki/Snake_River_Plain" title="Snake River Plain">Snake River Plain</a>, while the Anahim hotspot is most notable for the <a href="/wiki/Anahim_Volcanic_Belt" title="Anahim Volcanic Belt">Anahim Volcanic Belt</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Nazko_Cone" title="Nazko Cone">Nazko Cone</a> area. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Plate_motion">Plate motion</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=North_American_plate&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Plate motion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>For the most part, the North American plate moves in roughly a southwest direction away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at a rate of about 2.3 centimeters (~1 inch) per year. At the same time, the Pacific plate is moving to the northwest at a speed of between 7 and 11 centimeters (~3-4 inches) per year. The motion of the plate cannot be driven by subduction as no part of the North American plate is being subducted, except for a small section comprising part of the <a href="/wiki/Puerto_Rico_Trench" title="Puerto Rico Trench">Puerto Rico Trench</a>; thus other mechanisms continue to be investigated. One study in 2007 suggests that a mantle convective current is propelling the plate.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=North_American_plate&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Geologic_timeline_of_Western_North_America" title="Geologic timeline of Western North America">Geologic timeline of Western North America</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_Madrid_seismic_zone" title="New Madrid seismic zone">New Madrid seismic zone</a>, an ancient intraplate fault zone within the North American plate, notable as early as 1699<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes_and_references">Notes and references</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=North_American_plate&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Notes and references"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blplate_size_table.htm">"Sizes of Tectonic or Lithospheric Plates"</a>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-03-29</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Upper-mantle+origin+of+the+Yellowstone+hotspot&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dur.ac.uk%2Fg.r.foulger%2FOffprints%2FYellowstone.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANorth+American+plate" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEatonFrederiksen2007" class="citation journal cs1">Eaton, David W.; Frederiksen, Andrew (2007). "Seismic evidence for convection-driven motion of the North American plate". <i>Nature</i>. <b>446</b> (7134): 428–431. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007Natur.446..428E">2007Natur.446..428E</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature05675">10.1038/nature05675</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17377580">17377580</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4420814">4420814</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Nature&rft.atitle=Seismic+evidence+for+convection-driven+motion+of+the+North+American+plate&rft.volume=446&rft.issue=7134&rft.pages=428-431&rft.date=2007&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1038%2Fnature05675&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A4420814%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F17377580&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F2007Natur.446..428E&rft.aulast=Eaton&rft.aufirst=David+W.&rft.au=Frederiksen%2C+Andrew&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANorth+American+plate" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFeldman2005" class="citation book cs1">Feldman, Jay (2005). <i>When the Mississippi Ran Backwards : Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes</i>. Free Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7432-4278-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-7432-4278-3"><bdi>978-0-7432-4278-3</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=When+the+Mississippi+Ran+Backwards+%3A+Empire%2C+Intrigue%2C+Murder%2C+and+the+New+Madrid+Earthquakes&rft.pub=Free+Press&rft.date=2005&rft.isbn=978-0-7432-4278-3&rft.aulast=Feldman&rft.aufirst=Jay&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANorth+American+plate" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output 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href="/wiki/Template:Tectonic_plates" title="Template:Tectonic plates"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Tectonic_plates" title="Template talk:Tectonic plates"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Tectonic_plates" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Tectonic plates"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Tectonic_plates" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Plate_tectonics" title="Plate tectonics">Tectonic plates</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates#Major_plates" title="List of tectonic plates">Major plates</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/African_plate" title="African plate">African</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Antarctic_plate" title="Antarctic plate">Antarctic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eurasian_plate" title="Eurasian plate">Eurasian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indo-Australian_plate" title="Indo-Australian plate">Indo-Australian</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Australian_plate" title="Australian plate">Australian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_plate" title="Indian plate">Indian</a></li></ul></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">North American</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pacific_plate" title="Pacific plate">Pacific</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_American_plate" title="South American plate">South American</a></li></ul> </div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="6" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px;padding:1.0em;"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg" class="mw-file-description" title="World map indicating tectonic plate boundaries"><img alt="World map indicating tectonic plate boundaries" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg/120px-Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg.png" decoding="async" width="120" height="73" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg/180px-Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg/240px-Tectonic_plates_boundaries_World_map_Wt_180degE_centered-en.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="4903" data-file-height="2996" /></a></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates#Minor_plates" title="List of tectonic plates">Minor plates</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amurian_microplate" title="Amurian microplate">Amurian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arabian_plate" title="Arabian plate">Arabian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Burma_plate" title="Burma plate">Burma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Caribbean_plate" title="Caribbean plate">Caribbean</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Caroline_plate" title="Caroline plate">Caroline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cocos_plate" title="Cocos plate">Cocos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_plate" title="Indian plate">Indian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nazca_plate" title="Nazca plate">Nazca</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_Hebrides_plate" title="New Hebrides plate">New Hebrides</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Okhotsk_microplate" title="Okhotsk microplate">Okhotsk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philippine_Sea_plate" title="Philippine Sea plate">Philippine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scotia_plate" title="Scotia plate">Scotia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Somali_plate" title="Somali plate">Somali</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sunda_plate" title="Sunda plate">Sunda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yangtze_plate" title="Yangtze plate">Yangtze</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates#Microplates" title="List of tectonic plates">Microplates</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Adriatic_plate" title="Adriatic plate">Adriatic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aegean_Sea_plate" title="Aegean Sea plate">Aegean Sea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anatolian_sub-plate" title="Anatolian sub-plate">Anatolian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Balmoral_Reef_plate" title="Balmoral Reef plate">Balmoral Reef</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Banda_Sea_plate" title="Banda Sea plate">Banda Sea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s_Head_plate" title="Bird's Head plate">Bird's Head</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Capricorn_plate" title="Capricorn plate">Capricorn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coiba_plate" title="Coiba plate">Coiba</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conway_Reef_plate" title="Conway Reef plate">Conway Reef</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Explorer_plate" title="Explorer plate">Explorer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Futuna_plate" title="Futuna plate">Futuna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gal%C3%A1pagos_microplate" title="Galápagos microplate">Galápagos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gon%C3%A2ve_microplate" title="Gonâve microplate">Gonâve</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gorda_plate" title="Gorda plate">Gorda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greenland_plate" title="Greenland plate">Greenland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Halmahera_plate" title="Halmahera plate">Halmahera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iberian_plate" title="Iberian plate">Iberian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iranian_plateau" title="Iranian plateau">Iranian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Juan_de_Fuca_plate" title="Juan de Fuca plate">Juan de Fuca</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Juan_Fern%C3%A1ndez_plate" title="Juan Fernández plate">Juan Fernández</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kerguelen_Plateau" title="Kerguelen Plateau">Kerguelen</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kermadec_plate" title="Kermadec plate">Kermadec</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lwandle_plate" title="Lwandle plate">Lwandle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Madagascar_plate" title="Madagascar plate">Madagascar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Malpelo_plate" title="Malpelo plate">Malpelo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Manus_plate" title="Manus plate">Manus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maoke_plate" title="Maoke plate">Maoke</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mariana_plate" title="Mariana plate">Mariana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Molucca_Sea_plate" title="Molucca Sea plate">Molucca Sea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Niuafo%27ou_plate" title="Niuafo'ou plate">Niuafo’ou</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/North_Andes_plate" title="North Andes plate">North Andes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/North_Bismarck_plate" title="North Bismarck plate">North Bismarck</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/North_Galapagos_microplate" title="North Galapagos microplate">North Galápagos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Okinawa_plate" title="Okinawa plate">Okinawa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Panama_plate" title="Panama plate">Panama</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pelso_plate" title="Pelso plate">Pelso</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philippine_Mobile_Belt" title="Philippine Mobile Belt">Philippine Mobile Belt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rivera_plate" title="Rivera plate">Rivera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rovuma_plate" title="Rovuma plate">Rovuma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sangihe_plate" title="Sangihe plate">Sangihe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seychelles_microcontinent" title="Seychelles microcontinent">Seychelles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shetland_plate" title="Shetland plate">Shetland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Solomon_Sea_plate" title="Solomon Sea plate">Solomon Sea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_Bismarck_plate" title="South Bismarck plate">South Bismarck</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_Sandwich_plate" title="South Sandwich plate">South Sandwich</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timor_plate" title="Timor plate">Timor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tisza_plate" title="Tisza plate">Tisza</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tonga_plate" title="Tonga plate">Tonga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trobriand_plate" title="Trobriand plate">Trobriand</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Victoria_microplate" title="Victoria microplate">Victoria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Woodlark_plate" title="Woodlark plate">Woodlark</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates#Ancient_tectonic_plates" title="List of tectonic plates">Ancient plates</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baltic_plate" title="Baltic plate">Baltic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bellingshausen_plate" title="Bellingshausen plate">Bellingshausen</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charcot_plate" title="Charcot plate">Charcot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cimmeria_(continent)" title="Cimmeria (continent)">Cimmeria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Farallon_plate" title="Farallon plate">Farallon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Insular_plate" title="Insular plate">Insular</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Intermontane_plate" title="Intermontane plate">Intermontane</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Izanagi_plate" title="Izanagi plate">Izanagi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kula_plate" title="Kula plate">Kula</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lhasa_terrane" title="Lhasa terrane">Lhasa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Agulhas_Basin" title="Agulhas Basin">Malvinas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moa_plate" title="Moa plate">Moa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phoenix_plate" title="Phoenix plate">Phoenix</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kshiroda_plate" title="Kshiroda plate">Kshiroda</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Mid-ocean_ridge#List_of_mid-ocean_ridges" title="Mid-ocean ridge">Oceanic ridges</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aden_Ridge" title="Aden Ridge">Aden Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carlsberg_Ridge" title="Carlsberg Ridge">Carlsberg Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Central_Indian_Ridge" title="Central Indian Ridge">Central Indian Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chile_Ridge" title="Chile Ridge">Chile Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cocos_Ridge" class="mw-redirect" title="Cocos Ridge">Cocos Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_Pacific_Rise" title="East Pacific Rise">East Pacific Rise</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Explorer_Ridge" title="Explorer Ridge">Explorer Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gakkel_Ridge" title="Gakkel Ridge">Gakkel Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gal%C3%A1pagos_Islands#Geology" title="Galápagos Islands">Galápagos Spreading Center</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gorda_Ridge" title="Gorda Ridge">Gorda Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Juan_de_Fuca_Ridge" title="Juan de Fuca Ridge">Juan de Fuca Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Ridge" title="Mid-Atlantic Ridge">Mid-Atlantic Ridge</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nikolai_Knipovich" title="Nikolai Knipovich">Knipovich Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kolbeinsey_Ridge" title="Kolbeinsey Ridge">Kolbeinsey Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greenland_Plain" title="Greenland Plain">Mohns Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Ridge#Iceland" title="Mid-Atlantic Ridge">Reykjanes Ridge</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pacific%E2%80%93Antarctic_Ridge" title="Pacific–Antarctic Ridge">Pacific–Antarctic Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_American%E2%80%93Antarctic_Ridge" title="South American–Antarctic Ridge">South American–Antarctic Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Southeast_Indian_Ridge" title="Southeast Indian Ridge">Southeast Indian Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Southwest_Indian_Ridge" title="Southwest Indian Ridge">Southwest Indian Ridge</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Mid-ocean_ridge#List_of_ancient_oceanic_ridges" title="Mid-ocean ridge">Ancient oceanic ridges</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aegir_Ridge" title="Aegir Ridge">Aegir Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alpha_Ridge" title="Alpha Ridge">Alpha Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Antarctic%E2%80%93Phoenix_Ridge" title="Antarctic–Phoenix Ridge">Antarctic–Phoenix Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kula%E2%80%93Farallon_Ridge" title="Kula–Farallon Ridge">Kula–Farallon Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mid-Labrador_Ridge" title="Mid-Labrador Ridge">Mid-Labrador Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pacific%E2%80%93Farallon_Ridge" title="Pacific–Farallon Ridge">Pacific–Farallon Ridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pacific%E2%80%93Kula_Ridge" title="Pacific–Kula Ridge">Pacific–Kula Ridge</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="3"><div> <ul><li><b><span class="nowrap"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:WikiProject_Geology.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/WikiProject_Geology.svg/16px-WikiProject_Geology.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/WikiProject_Geology.svg/24px-WikiProject_Geology.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/WikiProject_Geology.svg/32px-WikiProject_Geology.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="327" data-file-height="328" /></a></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Portal:Geology" title="Portal:Geology">Geology portal</a></b></li> <li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="List-Class article"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/16px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/23px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/31px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <b><a href="/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates" title="List of tectonic plates">List</a></b></li> <li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" 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