Melanesia
What tectonic plate is Papua New Guinea on?
Papua New Guinea spans 5 tectonic plates: the Woodlark Plate (46%), the Australian Plate (34%), the South Bismarck Plate (16%), the North Bismarck Plate (2.3%) and the Pacific Plate (1.9%).
- Plates
- 5
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 313
- Holocene volcanoes
- 39
- Land area
- 464,292 km²
Plates under Papua New Guinea
Share of Papua New Guinea's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
18 plate boundaries run through or along Papua New Guinea: the Pacific-Australian boundary (convergent, about 5.2 cm/yr), the Woodlark-Maoke boundary (convergent, about 2.6 cm/yr), the Woodlark-Australian boundary (divergent, about 2.2 cm/yr), the South Bismarck-Solomon Sea boundary (convergent, about 11.3 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-Solomon Sea boundary (convergent, about 8.2 cm/yr), the Pacific-Solomon Sea boundary (convergent, about 9.1 cm/yr), the Pacific-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 10.5 cm/yr), the Solomon Sea-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Australian-Maoke boundary (transform, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Pacific-Caroline boundary (transform, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Caroline-North Bismarck boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Pacific-North Bismarck boundary (convergent, about 0.9 cm/yr), the Caroline-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 7.0 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-South Bismarck boundary (transform, about 13.0 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 7.8 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-Manus boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr), the Manus-South Bismarck boundary (divergent, about 8.5 cm/yr) and the South Bismarck-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr).
- Pacific and Australian: convergent, 5.2 cm/yr
- Woodlark and Maoke: convergent, 2.6 cm/yr
- Woodlark and Australian: divergent, 2.2 cm/yr
- South Bismarck and Solomon Sea: convergent, 11.3 cm/yr
- North Bismarck and Solomon Sea: convergent, 8.2 cm/yr
- Pacific and Solomon Sea: convergent, 9.1 cm/yr
- Pacific and Woodlark: convergent, 10.5 cm/yr
- Solomon Sea and Woodlark: convergent, 1.3 cm/yr
- Australian and Maoke: transform, 1.3 cm/yr
- Pacific and Caroline: transform, 1.1 cm/yr
- Caroline and North Bismarck: convergent, 1.3 cm/yr
- Pacific and North Bismarck: convergent, 0.9 cm/yr
- Caroline and Woodlark: convergent, 7.0 cm/yr
- North Bismarck and South Bismarck: transform, 13.0 cm/yr
- North Bismarck and Woodlark: convergent, 7.8 cm/yr
- North Bismarck and Manus: convergent, 4.7 cm/yr
- Manus and South Bismarck: divergent, 8.5 cm/yr
- South Bismarck and Woodlark: convergent, 3.5 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the North Bismarck-South Bismarck boundary, where the plates move about 13.0 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 313 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off Papua New Guinea since 1900, which ranks it 4 of 213 countries.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papua New Guinea Earthquake | M8.2 | 1919 | 35 km | North Bismarck |
| Bougainville Earthquake | M8.1 | 1971 | 52 km | North Bismarck |
| Papua New Guinea Earthquake | M8.0 | 1906 | 35 km | South Bismarck |
| New Britain Earthquake | M8.0 | 1971 | 15 km | North Bismarck |
| New Ireland Earthquake | M8.0 | 2000 | 33 km | South Bismarck |
| 60 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea | M8.0 | 1916 | 35 km | South Bismarck |
Volcanoes in Papua New Guinea
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 39 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Papua New Guinea, the 7th most of any country.
- Manam Stratovolcano · 1,807 m Last eruption 2026
- Langila Complex · 1,330 m Last eruption 2026
- Bagana Lava cone · 1,855 m Last eruption 2026
- Ulawun Stratovolcano · 2,334 m Last eruption 2025
- Kadovar Stratovolcano · 365 m Last eruption 2023
- Rabaul Caldera · 688 m Last eruption 2014
- Witori Caldera · 724 m Last eruption 2012
- Krummel-Garbuna-Welcker Stratovolcano(es) · 564 m Last eruption 2008
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Papua New Guinea on?
Papua New Guinea spans 5 tectonic plates: the Woodlark Plate (46%), the Australian Plate (34%), the South Bismarck Plate (16%), the North Bismarck Plate (2.3%) and the Pacific Plate (1.9%).
Is Papua New Guinea on a plate boundary?
18 plate boundaries run through or along Papua New Guinea: the Pacific-Australian boundary (convergent, about 5.2 cm/yr), the Woodlark-Maoke boundary (convergent, about 2.6 cm/yr), the Woodlark-Australian boundary (divergent, about 2.2 cm/yr), the South Bismarck-Solomon Sea boundary (convergent, about 11.3 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-Solomon Sea boundary (convergent, about 8.2 cm/yr), the Pacific-Solomon Sea boundary (convergent, about 9.1 cm/yr), the Pacific-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 10.5 cm/yr), the Solomon Sea-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Australian-Maoke boundary (transform, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Pacific-Caroline boundary (transform, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Caroline-North Bismarck boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr), the Pacific-North Bismarck boundary (convergent, about 0.9 cm/yr), the Caroline-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 7.0 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-South Bismarck boundary (transform, about 13.0 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 7.8 cm/yr), the North Bismarck-Manus boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr), the Manus-South Bismarck boundary (divergent, about 8.5 cm/yr) and the South Bismarck-Woodlark boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr).
Does Papua New Guinea get earthquakes?
Papua New Guinea is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 313 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off Papua New Guinea since 1900, which ranks it 4 of 213 countries. The largest was the M8.2 Papua New Guinea Earthquake in 1919.
Are there volcanoes in Papua New Guinea?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 39 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Papua New Guinea, the 7th most of any country.