Southern Asia
What tectonic plate is India on?
India spans 2 tectonic plates: the Indian Plate (91%) and the Eurasian Plate (8.6%), plus slivers of the Burma Plate.
- Plates
- 3
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 29
- Holocene volcanoes
- 1
- Land area
- 3.16 million km²
Plates under India
Share of India's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
4 plate boundaries run through or along India: the Eurasian-Indian boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr), the Burma-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 5.0 cm/yr), the Burma-Indian boundary (convergent, about 2.5 cm/yr) and the Sunda-Burma boundary (divergent, about 4.3 cm/yr).
- Eurasian and Indian: convergent, 4.7 cm/yr
- Burma and Eurasian: convergent, 5.0 cm/yr
- Burma and Indian: convergent, 2.5 cm/yr
- Sunda and Burma: divergent, 4.3 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Burma-Eurasian boundary, where the plates move about 5.0 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in India
India has frequent large earthquakes: 29 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 31 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assam-Tibet Earthquake | M8.6 | 1950 | 15 km | Eurasian |
| 43 km N of Bamboo Flat, India | M8.0 | 1941 | 20 km | Burma |
| Kangra, India Earthquake | M7.9 | 1905 | 20 km | Eurasian |
| Near India | M7.7 | 2001 | 16 km | Indian |
| 266 km N of Bamboo Flat, India | M7.5 | 2009 | 24 km | Burma |
| Nicobar Islands, India region | M7.5 | 2010 | 35 km | Burma |
Volcanoes in India
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 1 volcano active in the last 12,000 years in India.
- Barren Island Stratovolcano · 354 m Last eruption 2026
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is India on?
India spans 2 tectonic plates: the Indian Plate (91%) and the Eurasian Plate (8.6%), plus slivers of the Burma Plate.
Is India on a plate boundary?
4 plate boundaries run through or along India: the Eurasian-Indian boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr), the Burma-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 5.0 cm/yr), the Burma-Indian boundary (convergent, about 2.5 cm/yr) and the Sunda-Burma boundary (divergent, about 4.3 cm/yr).
Does India get earthquakes?
India has frequent large earthquakes: 29 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 31 of 213). The largest was the M8.6 Assam-Tibet Earthquake in 1950.
Are there volcanoes in India?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 1 volcano active in the last 12,000 years in India.