List of tenctonic plate

Earth's outer shell (the lithosphere) is divided into 7 to 8 primary major plates and dozens of secondary (minor) plates that constantly shift over the asthenosphere.

Major Tectonic Plates


Pacific Plate: The largest plate, covering roughly 103 million $\text{km}^2$ beneath the Pacific Ocean; bounded by the volcanic "Ring of Fire."

African Plate: Contains the entire African continent and surrounding oceanic crust, currently splitting along the East African Rift.

Eurasian Plate: Covers most of Europe and Asia (excluding the Indian subcontinent and eastern Siberia).

North American Plate: Spans North America, Greenland, parts of Siberia, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean basin.

South American Plate: Covers South America and extends east to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Antarctic Plate: Holds the continent of Antarctica and surrounding southern ocean crust.

Indo-Australian Plate: Often divided into the Indian Plate and Australian Plate, covering Australia, India, and adjacent waters.

Major Secondary (Minor) Plates


Nazca Plate: Located in the eastern Pacific, subducting beneath the South American Plate to form the Andes.

Philippine Sea Plate: Situated under the Philippine Sea, east of the Philippines and Taiwan.

Arabian Plate: Lies between the African and Eurasian plates, underlying the Arabian Peninsula.

Cocos Plate: Oceanic plate off the western coast of Central America.

Caribbean Plate: Underlies Central America and the Caribbean Sea north of South America.

Scotia Plate: Located between the South American and Antarctic plates in the southern Atlantic.

Juan de Fuca Plate: Small oceanic plate subducting beneath northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

Source : Google Gemini