Northern Africa
What tectonic plate is Libya on?
Libya sits entirely on the African Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 1
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 1.63 million km²
Plates under Libya
Share of Libya's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Libya: the Aegean Sea-African boundary (convergent, about 3.8 cm/yr).
- Aegean Sea and African: convergent, 3.8 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Aegean Sea-African boundary, where the plates move about 3.8 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Libya
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Libya. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| near the coast of Libya | M6.8 | 1935 | 15 km | African |
Volcanoes in Libya
Libya 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 Libya on?
Libya sits entirely on the African Plate.
Is Libya on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Libya: the Aegean Sea-African boundary (convergent, about 3.8 cm/yr).
Does Libya get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Libya. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M6.8 near the coast of Libya in 1935.
Are there volcanoes in Libya?
Libya has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.