Eastern Africa
What tectonic plate is Mozambique on?
Mozambique spans 2 tectonic plates: the Somali Plate (79%) and the African Plate (21%).
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 1
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 790,668 km²
Plates under Mozambique
Share of Mozambique's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Mozambique: the Somali-African boundary (divergent, about 0.3 cm/yr).
Earthquakes in Mozambique
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Mozambique. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 km SE of Chipinge, Zimbabwe | M7.0 | 2006 | 11 km | Somali |
Volcanoes in Mozambique
Mozambique 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 Mozambique on?
Mozambique spans 2 tectonic plates: the Somali Plate (79%) and the African Plate (21%).
Is Mozambique on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Mozambique: the Somali-African boundary (divergent, about 0.3 cm/yr).
Does Mozambique get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Mozambique. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M7.0 160 km SE of Chipinge, Zimbabwe in 2006.
Are there volcanoes in Mozambique?
Mozambique has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.