Australia and New Zealand
What tectonic plate is Australia on?
Australia sits entirely on the Australian Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 35
- Holocene volcanoes
- 2
- Land area
- 7.71 million km²
Plates under Australia
Share of Australia's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Australia: the Pacific-Australian boundary (convergent, about 5.2 cm/yr).
- Pacific and Australian: convergent, 5.2 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Pacific-Australian boundary, where the plates move about 5.2 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Australia
Australia has frequent large earthquakes: 35 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 25 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macquarie Island region | M7.7 | 1924 | 10 km | Pacific |
| Macquarie Island region | M7.5 | 1943 | 10 km | Australian |
| north of Macquarie Island | M7.5 | 1926 | 10 km | Australian |
| Macquarie Island region | M7.4 | 1987 | 33 km | Pacific |
| northwest of Australia | M7.4 | 1906 | 10 km | Australian |
| Macquarie Island region | M7.3 | 1965 | 11 km | Australian |
Volcanoes in Australia
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 2 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Australia.
- Newer Volcanics Province Volcanic field · 1,011 m Last eruption 2900 BCE
- McBride Volcanic Province Volcanic field · 1,020 m Last eruption 5050 BCE
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Australia on?
Australia sits entirely on the Australian Plate.
Is Australia on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Australia: the Pacific-Australian boundary (convergent, about 5.2 cm/yr).
Does Australia get earthquakes?
Australia has frequent large earthquakes: 35 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 25 of 213). The largest was the M7.7 Macquarie Island region in 1924.
Are there volcanoes in Australia?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 2 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Australia.