Arabian plate

The Arabian plate, sometimes called the Arab plate, is a minor tectonic plate located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres. Geologically, it is one of three continental plates—the others being the African and Indian plates—that have historically drifted northward. Their ongoing collision with the Eurasian plate has created a complex zone of mingled plate fragments and a chain of mountain ranges. This chain stretches from the Pyrenees in the west, across Southern Europe and the Iranian plateau (including the Alborz and Zagros Mountains), all the way to the Himalayas and the ranges of Southeast Asia.

The plate is composed mostly of the Arabian Peninsula, but it also extends westward to the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea, and northward to the Levant. Its eastern border meets the Indo-Australian plate at the Owen fracture zone. To the south, it borders the African plate (often called the Nubia plate) on the west and the Somali plate and Indo-Australian plate on the east. Its western boundary is a left-lateral fault with the African plate known as the Dead Sea Transform, as well as a divergent boundary called the Red Sea Rift that runs the length of the Red Sea. To the north, it has a convergent boundary with the Anatolian and Eurasian plates, marked by the East Anatolian Fault, the Zagros fold and thrust belt, and the Makran Trench.

For most of the Phanerozoic Eon (from the Paleozoic through the Cenozoic), the Arabian plate was part of the African plate. Rifting in the Red Sea began during the Eocene, and the separation of Africa and Arabia occurred roughly 25 million years ago in the Oligocene. Since then, the Arabian plate has been moving toward Eurasia. The opening of the Red Sea rift triggered volcanic activity, producing volcanic fields known as the Older Harrats (such as Harrat Khaybar and Harrat Rahat) that cover parts of the western plate. Some volcanic activity continues, especially near Medina, and regular eruptions occur within the Red Sea. The collision with Eurasia is pushing up the Zagros Mountains in Iran. Because of this ongoing collision, cities in southeastern Turkey (which lies on the Arabian plate) may experience earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.

Countries entirely or partly on the plate include Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Regions on the plate inclu