Caribbean plate
A mostly oceanic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea.
The Caribbean plate is a mostly oceanic tectonic plate that sits beneath Central America and the Caribbean Sea, just north of South America. Covering about 3.2 million square kilometers, it touches the North American, South American, Nazca, and Cocos plates. Where these plates meet, seismic activity is high, leading to frequent earthquakes, occasional tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
Its northern edge, shared with the North American plate, is a transform boundary. This boundary runs from the border region of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, east through the Cayman Trough along the Swan Islands Transform Fault, then past the Gonâve microplate. East of the Mid-Cayman Rise, it continues as the Walton fault zone and the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone into eastern Hispaniola, then into Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Part of this border includes the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest part of the Atlantic at about 8,400 meters. This trench marks a complex shift from a subduction zone to the south and a transform boundary to the west.
The eastern boundary is a subduction zone called the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. Here, oceanic crust from the South American plate slides under the Caribbean plate, creating the volcanic islands of the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc, from the Virgin Islands down to islands off Venezuela. This arc holds seventeen active volcanoes, including Soufriere Hills on Montserrat, Mount Pelée on Martinique, La Grande Soufrière on Guadeloupe, Soufrière Saint Vincent on Saint Vincent, and the submarine volcano Kick 'em Jenny north of Grenada. Large earthquakes in 1839 and 1843 in this area may have been megathrust events.
The southern boundary is geologically complex. The Caribbean plate interacts with the South American plate here, forming Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago (both on the Caribbean plate), and islands off Venezuela and Colombia. This boundary involves transform faulting, thrust faulting, and some subduction. Venezuela’s rich oil fields may stem from this plate interaction. The Caribbean plate moves eastward about 22 millimeters per year relative to the South American plate. In Venezuela, much of this movement occurs along the Boconó, El Pilar, and San Sebastián faults.
The western part of the plate holds Central America. The Cocos plate, in the Pacific, subducts beneath the Caribbean plate just off Central America’s west
- area
- 3.2 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles)
- type
- Mostly oceanic tectonic plate
- bordering_plates
- North American, South American, Nazca, Cocos
- movement_rate
- Eastward about 22 mm per year relative to South American plate
- key_boundary_types
- Transform, subduction, thrust faulting
- active_volcanoes
- 17 in Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc
Lore & Background
The Caribbean plate's northern boundary with the North American plate is a transform or strike-slip boundary running from Belize and Guatemala eastward through the Cayman trough, continuing into Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean at roughly 8,400 meters, lies along this border. The eastern boundary is a subduction zone where oceanic crust of the South American plate subducts under the Caribbean plate, forming the volcanic islands of the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc, which contains seventeen active volcanoes including Soufriere Hills, Mount Pelée, and Kick 'em Jenny. The southern boundary is geologically complex, involving transform faulting, thrust faulting, and some subduction, and the Caribbean plate moves eastward about 22 millimeters per year relative to the South American plate. The western portion is occupied by Central America, where the Cocos plate subducts beneath the Caribbean plate, forming the Central America Volcanic Arc.
Reader's Guide
The Caribbean plate is significant for its role in shaping the geology and seismic hazards of Central America and the Caribbean. Its boundaries produce frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions that affect millions of people. The plate's origin is debated: the mainstream theory holds it formed as the Caribbean large igneous province in the Pacific Ocean and drifted eastward, overriding oceanic crust, while a 2002 theory suggests it originated from an Atlantic hotspot and moves westward relative to the mantle. The plate's eastward migration beginning 80 million years ago created a volcanic arc that intermittently formed a land bridge, enabling mammal interchange between North and South America during the Late Paleocene. Later, the Great American Interchange peaked around 2.6 million years ago via the uplifted western margin of the plate. The complex southern boundary may also be linked to rich Venezuelan petroleum fields.
Did You Know?
- The Puerto Rico Trench, along the northern boundary, is the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean at roughly 8,400 meters.
- The eastern boundary contains seventeen active volcanoes, including the submarine volcano Kick 'em Jenny north of Grenada.
- The Caribbean plate moves eastward about 22 millimeters per year relative to the South American plate.
- The plate's origin is disputed: a 2002 theory suggests it came from an Atlantic hotspot, not the Pacific.
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