Southern Asia
What tectonic plate is the Maldives on?
The Maldives sits entirely on the Indian Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 1
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 66 km²
Plates under the Maldives
Share of the Maldives's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
No plate boundary crosses the Maldives itself, so it sits in the stable interior of the Indian Plate, although strong earthquakes can still reach it from nearby boundaries or older faults.
Earthquakes in the Maldives
Large earthquakes are uncommon in the Maldives. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 212 km E of Fuvahmulah, Maldives | M7.4 | 1944 | 15 km | Indian |
Volcanoes in the Maldives
The Maldives has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is the Maldives on?
The Maldives sits entirely on the Indian Plate.
Is the Maldives on a plate boundary?
No plate boundary crosses the Maldives itself, so it sits in the stable interior of the Indian Plate, although strong earthquakes can still reach it from nearby boundaries or older faults.
Does the Maldives get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in the Maldives. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M7.4 212 km E of Fuvahmulah, Maldives in 1944.
Are there volcanoes in the Maldives?
The Maldives has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.