Western Asia
What tectonic plate is Cyprus on?
Cyprus sits entirely on the Anatolian Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 2
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 5,708 km²
Plates under Cyprus
Share of Cyprus's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
3 plate boundaries run through or along Cyprus: the Arabian-African boundary (divergent, about 1.4 cm/yr), the Anatolian-Arabian boundary (convergent, about 1.6 cm/yr) and the Anatolian-African boundary (convergent, about 1.4 cm/yr).
Earthquakes in Cyprus
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Cyprus. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 2 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 km SW of Paphos, Cyprus | M6.8 | 1996 | 33 km | Anatolian |
| 48 km WNW of Pólis, Cyprus | M6.6 | 2022 | 21 km | Anatolian |
Volcanoes in Cyprus
Cyprus 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 Cyprus on?
Cyprus sits entirely on the Anatolian Plate.
Is Cyprus on a plate boundary?
3 plate boundaries run through or along Cyprus: the Arabian-African boundary (divergent, about 1.4 cm/yr), the Anatolian-Arabian boundary (convergent, about 1.6 cm/yr) and the Anatolian-African boundary (convergent, about 1.4 cm/yr).
Does Cyprus get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Cyprus. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 2 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M6.8 36 km SW of Paphos, Cyprus in 1996.
Are there volcanoes in Cyprus?
Cyprus has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.