South America
What tectonic plate is Colombia on?
Colombia spans 2 tectonic plates: the South American Plate (57%) and the North Andes Plate (43%), plus slivers of the Panama Plate.
- Plates
- 3
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 26
- Holocene volcanoes
- 14
- Land area
- 1.14 million km²
Plates under Colombia
Share of Colombia's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
6 plate boundaries run through or along Colombia: the Nazca-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 5.7 cm/yr), the Panama-Caribbean boundary (convergent, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Nazca-Panama boundary (transform, about 4.0 cm/yr), the Panama-North Andes boundary (transform, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Caribbean-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 1.2 cm/yr) and the North Andes-South American boundary (convergent, about 0.9 cm/yr).
- Nazca and North Andes: convergent, 5.7 cm/yr
- Panama and Caribbean: convergent, 1.1 cm/yr
- Nazca and Panama: transform, 4.0 cm/yr
- Panama and North Andes: transform, 1.3 cm/yr
- Caribbean and North Andes: convergent, 1.2 cm/yr
- North Andes and South American: convergent, 0.9 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Nazca-North Andes boundary, where the plates move about 5.7 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Colombia
Colombia has frequent large earthquakes: 26 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 34 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 km N of San Antonio del Estrecho, Peru | M8.0 | 1970 | 645 km | South American |
| 4 km SSW of San José del Palmar, Colombia | M7.4 | 2026 | 116 km | North Andes |
| 11 km WNW of San Agustín, Colombia | M7.3 | 2012 | 170 km | North Andes |
| 33 km NNW of Santa Genoveva de Docordó, Colombia | M7.2 | 1991 | 21 km | North Andes |
| 11 km NNW of Murindó, Colombia | M7.2 | 1992 | 10 km | North Andes |
| 32 km SSW of Pizarro, Colombia | M7.2 | 2004 | 15 km | North Andes |
Volcanoes in Colombia
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 14 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Colombia, the 20th most of any country.
- Ruiz, Nevado del Stratovolcano · 5,279 m Last eruption 2026
- Purace Stratovolcano(es) · 4,650 m Last eruption 2026
- Galeras Complex · 4,276 m Last eruption 2014
- Huila, Nevado del Stratovolcano · 5,364 m Last eruption 2012
- Tolima, Nevado del Stratovolcano · 5,215 m Last eruption 1943
- Chiles-Cerro Negro Stratovolcano · 4,698 m Last eruption 1936
- Cumbal Stratovolcano · 4,764 m Last eruption 1926
- Dona Juana Stratovolcano · 4,137 m Last eruption 1906
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Colombia on?
Colombia spans 2 tectonic plates: the South American Plate (57%) and the North Andes Plate (43%), plus slivers of the Panama Plate.
Is Colombia on a plate boundary?
6 plate boundaries run through or along Colombia: the Nazca-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 5.7 cm/yr), the Panama-Caribbean boundary (convergent, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Nazca-Panama boundary (transform, about 4.0 cm/yr), the Panama-North Andes boundary (transform, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Caribbean-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 1.2 cm/yr) and the North Andes-South American boundary (convergent, about 0.9 cm/yr).
Does Colombia get earthquakes?
Colombia has frequent large earthquakes: 26 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 34 of 213). The largest was the M8.0 95 km N of San Antonio del Estrecho, Peru in 1970.
Are there volcanoes in Colombia?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 14 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Colombia, the 20th most of any country.