Caribbean
What tectonic plate is Trinidad and Tobago on?
Trinidad and Tobago spans 2 tectonic plates: the Caribbean Plate (51%) and the South American Plate (49%).
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 3
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 5,102 km²
Plates under Trinidad and Tobago
Share of Trinidad and Tobago's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Trinidad and Tobago: the Caribbean-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.9 cm/yr).
- Caribbean and South American: convergent, 1.9 cm/yr
Earthquakes in Trinidad and Tobago
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 3 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 km ESE of Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago | M6.7 | 1988 | 56 km | Caribbean |
| 18 km WSW of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | M6.7 | 1997 | 5 km | Caribbean |
| 144 km ENE of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | M6.5 | 1910 | 10 km | Caribbean |
Volcanoes in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago 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 Trinidad and Tobago on?
Trinidad and Tobago spans 2 tectonic plates: the Caribbean Plate (51%) and the South American Plate (49%).
Is Trinidad and Tobago on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Trinidad and Tobago: the Caribbean-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.9 cm/yr).
Does Trinidad and Tobago get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 3 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M6.7 62 km ESE of Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago in 1988.
Are there volcanoes in Trinidad and Tobago?
Trinidad and Tobago has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.