Eastern Europe
What tectonic plate is Russia on?
Russia spans 4 tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate (76%), the Amur Plate (11%), the North American Plate (10%) and the Okhotsk Plate (3.7%).
- Plates
- 4
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 291
- Holocene volcanoes
- 104
- Land area
- 16.9 million km²
Plates under Russia
Share of Russia's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
7 plate boundaries run through or along Russia: the North American-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 1.5 cm/yr), the Pacific-Okhotsk boundary (convergent, about 8.7 cm/yr), the North American-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-North American boundary (transform, about 0.3 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 0.4 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Amur boundary (convergent, about 0.8 cm/yr) and the Amur-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 1.0 cm/yr).
- North American and Eurasian: divergent, 1.5 cm/yr
- Pacific and Okhotsk: convergent, 8.7 cm/yr
- North American and Pacific: convergent, 5.6 cm/yr
- Okhotsk and North American: transform, 0.3 cm/yr
- Okhotsk and Eurasian: divergent, 0.4 cm/yr
- Okhotsk and Amur: convergent, 0.8 cm/yr
- Amur and Eurasian: divergent, 1.0 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Pacific-Okhotsk boundary, where the plates move about 8.7 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Russia
Russia is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 291 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off Russia since 1900, which ranks it 5 of 213 countries.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | M9.0 | 1952 | 22 km | Okhotsk |
| Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquaketsunami | M8.8 | 2025 | 35 km | Okhotsk |
| Kuril Islands Earthquake | M8.5 | 1963 | 35 km | Okhotsk |
| Kamchatka, Russia Earthquake | M8.4 | 1923 | 15 km | Okhotsk |
| Kuril Islands Earthquake | M8.3 | 1958 | 35 km | Okhotsk |
| 48 km E of Shikotan, Russia | M8.3 | 1994 | 14 km | Okhotsk |
Volcanoes in Russia
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 104 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Russia, the 3rd most of any country.
- Krasheninnikov Caldera · 1,816 m Last eruption 2026
- Sheveluch Stratovolcano · 3,283 m Last eruption 2026
- Karymsky Stratovolcano · 1,513 m Last eruption 2025
- Bezymianny Stratovolcano · 2,882 m Last eruption 2025
- Klyuchevskoy Stratovolcano · 4,754 m Last eruption 2025
- Ebeko Stratovolcano · 1,103 m Last eruption 2024
- Chikurachki Stratovolcano(es) · 1,781 m Last eruption 2023
- Chirinkotan Stratovolcano · 724 m Last eruption 2022
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Russia on?
Russia spans 4 tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate (76%), the Amur Plate (11%), the North American Plate (10%) and the Okhotsk Plate (3.7%).
Is Russia on a plate boundary?
7 plate boundaries run through or along Russia: the North American-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 1.5 cm/yr), the Pacific-Okhotsk boundary (convergent, about 8.7 cm/yr), the North American-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-North American boundary (transform, about 0.3 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 0.4 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Amur boundary (convergent, about 0.8 cm/yr) and the Amur-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 1.0 cm/yr).
Does Russia get earthquakes?
Russia is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 291 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off Russia since 1900, which ranks it 5 of 213 countries. The largest was the M9.0 89 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in 1952.
Are there volcanoes in Russia?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 104 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Russia, the 3rd most of any country.