Eastern Africa
What tectonic plate is Zambia on?
Zambia sits entirely on the African Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 1
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 755,592 km²
Plates under Zambia
Share of Zambia's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Zambia: the Somali-African boundary (divergent, about 0.3 cm/yr).
Earthquakes in Zambia
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Zambia. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 km WNW of Chama, Zambia | M6.5 | 1919 | 15 km | African |
Volcanoes in Zambia
Zambia 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 Zambia on?
Zambia sits entirely on the African Plate.
Is Zambia on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Zambia: the Somali-African boundary (divergent, about 0.3 cm/yr).
Does Zambia get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Zambia. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M6.5 12 km WNW of Chama, Zambia in 1919.
Are there volcanoes in Zambia?
Zambia has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.