Western Europe
What tectonic plate is the Netherlands on?
The Netherlands sits almost entirely on the Eurasian Plate (99% of its land), with small fringes on the Caribbean Plate.
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 0
- Holocene volcanoes
- 2
- Land area
- 37,132 km²
Plates under the Netherlands
Share of the Netherlands's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
4 plate boundaries run through or along the Netherlands: the Caribbean-North American boundary (transform, about 1.7 cm/yr), the Caribbean-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.9 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).
- Caribbean and North American: transform, 1.7 cm/yr
- Caribbean and South American: convergent, 1.9 cm/yr
- Caribbean and North Andes: convergent, 1.2 cm/yr
- North Andes and South American: convergent, 0.9 cm/yr
Earthquakes in the Netherlands
The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off the Netherlands since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.
Volcanoes in the Netherlands
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 2 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in the Netherlands.
- Saba Stratovolcano · 887 m Last eruption 1640
- Quill, The Stratovolcano · 601 m Last eruption 250
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is the Netherlands on?
The Netherlands sits almost entirely on the Eurasian Plate (99% of its land), with small fringes on the Caribbean Plate.
Is the Netherlands on a plate boundary?
4 plate boundaries run through or along the Netherlands: the Caribbean-North American boundary (transform, about 1.7 cm/yr), the Caribbean-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.9 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 the Netherlands get earthquakes?
The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off the Netherlands since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.
Are there volcanoes in the Netherlands?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 2 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in the Netherlands.