South America
What tectonic plate is Argentina on?
Argentina sits almost entirely on the South American Plate (99.6% of its land), with small fringes on the Scotia Plate.
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 41
- Holocene volcanoes
- 33
- Land area
- 2.78 million km²
Plates under Argentina
Share of Argentina's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
5 plate boundaries run through or along Argentina: the Antarctic-South American boundary (transform, about 1.8 cm/yr), the Nazca-South American boundary (convergent, about 7.8 cm/yr), the Scotia-Antarctic boundary (convergent, about 1.2 cm/yr), the Altiplano-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr) and the Scotia-South American boundary (transform, about 0.5 cm/yr).
- Antarctic and South American: transform, 1.8 cm/yr
- Nazca and South American: convergent, 7.8 cm/yr
- Scotia and Antarctic: convergent, 1.2 cm/yr
- Altiplano and South American: convergent, 1.3 cm/yr
- Scotia and South American: transform, 0.5 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Nazca-South American boundary, where the plates move about 7.8 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Argentina
Argentina has frequent large earthquakes: 41 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 20 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan, Argentina | M7.4 | 1977 | 13 km | South American |
| 31 km SE of Villa Atamisqui, Argentina | M7.3 | 1912 | 620 km | South American |
| 27 km NNW of El Hoyo, Argentina | M7.3 | 1991 | 558 km | South American |
| 75 km N of San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina | M7.2 | 2000 | 225 km | South American |
| 13 km ENE of Trevelin, Argentina | M7.2 | 1919 | 15 km | South American |
| 21 km SSE of Taco Pozo, Argentina | M7.2 | 1962 | 589 km | South American |
Volcanoes in Argentina
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 33 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Argentina, the 10th most of any country.
- Copahue Stratovolcano · 2,953 m Last eruption 2024
- Tupungatito Stratovolcano · 5,660 m Last eruption 1987
- San Jose Stratovolcano(es) · 6,070 m Last eruption 1960
- Maipo Caldera · 5,323 m Last eruption 1912
- Llullaillaco Stratovolcano · 6,739 m Last eruption 1877
- Tromen Volcanic Plateau Stratovolcano(es) · 4,114 m Last eruption 1822
- Huanquihue Group Stratovolcano(es) · 2,189 m Last eruption 1750
- Ojos del Salado, Nevados Stratovolcano · 6,879 m Last eruption 750
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Argentina on?
Argentina sits almost entirely on the South American Plate (99.6% of its land), with small fringes on the Scotia Plate.
Is Argentina on a plate boundary?
5 plate boundaries run through or along Argentina: the Antarctic-South American boundary (transform, about 1.8 cm/yr), the Nazca-South American boundary (convergent, about 7.8 cm/yr), the Scotia-Antarctic boundary (convergent, about 1.2 cm/yr), the Altiplano-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr) and the Scotia-South American boundary (transform, about 0.5 cm/yr).
Does Argentina get earthquakes?
Argentina has frequent large earthquakes: 41 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 20 of 213). The largest was the M7.4 San Juan, Argentina in 1977.
Are there volcanoes in Argentina?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 33 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Argentina, the 10th most of any country.