Northern America
What tectonic plate is Canada on?
Canada sits almost entirely on the North American Plate (99.9% of its land), with small fringes on the Pacific Plate.
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 29
- Holocene volcanoes
- 24
- Land area
- 9.87 million km²
Plates under Canada
Share of Canada's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
3 plate boundaries run through or along Canada: the Pacific-Juan de Fuca boundary (divergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Juan de Fuca-North American boundary (convergent, about 4.0 cm/yr) and the North American-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 5.6 cm/yr).
- Pacific and Juan de Fuca: divergent, 5.6 cm/yr
- Juan de Fuca and North American: convergent, 4.0 cm/yr
- North American and Pacific: convergent, 5.6 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Pacific-Juan de Fuca boundary, where the plates move about 5.6 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Canada
Canada has frequent large earthquakes: 29 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 30 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haida Gwaii, Canada Earthquake | M8.0 | 1949 | 10 km | North American |
| 206 km SW of Prince Rupert, Canada | M7.8 | 2012 | 14 km | North American |
| Vancouver Island, Canada Earthquake | M7.5 | 1946 | 30 km | North American |
| 262 km W of Port McNeill, Canada | M7.5 | 1929 | 15 km | Juan de Fuca |
| 288 km S of Prince Rupert, Canada | M7.3 | 1970 | 20 km | North American |
| British Columbia-Yukon border, Canada | M7.1 | 1901 | – | North American |
Volcanoes in Canada
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 24 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Canada, the 12th most of any country.
- Iskut-Unuk River Cones Pyroclastic cone(s) · 1,880 m Last eruption 1800
- Tseax River Cone Pyroclastic cone · 612 m Last eruption 1690
- Wells Gray-Clearwater Volcanic field · 950 m Last eruption 1550
- Edziza Stratovolcano · 2,786 m Last eruption 950
- Meager Complex · 2,680 m Last eruption 410 BCE
- Cobb Segment Fissure vent(s) · -2,100 m Last eruption 1180 BCE
- Endeavour Segment Fissure vent(s) · -2,050 m Last eruption 3490 BCE
- Nazko Pyroclastic cone(s) · 1,238 m Last eruption 5220 BCE
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Canada on?
Canada sits almost entirely on the North American Plate (99.9% of its land), with small fringes on the Pacific Plate.
Is Canada on a plate boundary?
3 plate boundaries run through or along Canada: the Pacific-Juan de Fuca boundary (divergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Juan de Fuca-North American boundary (convergent, about 4.0 cm/yr) and the North American-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 5.6 cm/yr).
Does Canada get earthquakes?
Canada has frequent large earthquakes: 29 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 30 of 213). The largest was the M8.0 Haida Gwaii, Canada Earthquake in 1949.
Are there volcanoes in Canada?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 24 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Canada, the 12th most of any country.