Western Africa

What tectonic plate is Benin on?

Benin sits entirely on the African Plate.

Plates
1
M6.5+ quakes since 1900
0
Holocene volcanoes
0
Land area
116,582 km²
Map of Benin with the tectonic plate boundaries around it Open on interactive map

Plates under Benin

Share of Benin's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).

  1. African Plate 100%

Plate boundaries

No plate boundary crosses Benin itself, so it sits in the stable interior of the African Plate.

How convergent, divergent and transform boundaries work

Earthquakes in Benin

The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off Benin since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.

See today's earthquakes on the live map

Volcanoes in Benin

Benin 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 Benin on?

Benin sits entirely on the African Plate.

Is Benin on a plate boundary?

No plate boundary crosses Benin itself, so it sits in the stable interior of the African Plate.

Does Benin get earthquakes?

The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off Benin since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.

Are there volcanoes in Benin?

Benin has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.

Other countries on the African Plate