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PACIFIC PLATE

The Pacific Plate is the largest tectonic plate covering 103 300 000 square kilometers (about 1/3) of the earth's surface. It has boundaries with 7 other tectonic plates. Scientists have concluded that this plate continues to shrink in size as the North American plate pushes westwards. 

 

Notable Features:

  • Pacific Ring of Fire: a horseshoe-shaped basin with very deep trenches as well as many volcanoes. This is along the coast of the plate along North America, South America, Asia and Indonesia. causes very frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

  • Marianas Trench: the deepest part of the ocean reaching a depth of over 35 000 feet. This is a convergent boundary where the Pacific plate is subducted underneath the Mariana plate

Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean

The depth of the Marianas Trench compared to other trenches

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