Western Europe

What tectonic plate is Switzerland on?

Switzerland sits entirely on the Eurasian Plate.

Plates
1
M6.5+ quakes since 1900
0
Holocene volcanoes
0
Land area
41,207 km²
Map of Switzerland with the tectonic plate boundaries around it Open on interactive map

Plates under Switzerland

Share of Switzerland's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).

  1. Eurasian Plate 100%

Plate boundaries

No plate boundary crosses Switzerland itself, so it sits in the stable interior of the Eurasian Plate.

How convergent, divergent and transform boundaries work

Earthquakes in Switzerland

The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off Switzerland since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.

See today's earthquakes on the live map

Volcanoes in Switzerland

Switzerland 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 Switzerland on?

Switzerland sits entirely on the Eurasian Plate.

Is Switzerland on a plate boundary?

No plate boundary crosses Switzerland itself, so it sits in the stable interior of the Eurasian Plate.

Does Switzerland get earthquakes?

The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off Switzerland since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.

Are there volcanoes in Switzerland?

Switzerland has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.

Other countries on the Eurasian Plate