Micronesia
What tectonic plate is the Northern Mariana Islands on?
The Northern Mariana Islands sits entirely on the Mariana Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 36
- Holocene volcanoes
- 3
- Land area
- 394 km²
Plates under the Northern Mariana Islands
Share of the Northern Mariana Islands's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
2 plate boundaries run through or along the Northern Mariana Islands: the Mariana-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 6.3 cm/yr) and the Philippine Sea-Mariana boundary (divergent, about 3.1 cm/yr).
- Mariana and Pacific: convergent, 6.3 cm/yr
- Philippine Sea and Mariana: divergent, 3.1 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Mariana-Pacific boundary, where the plates move about 6.3 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands has frequent large earthquakes: 36 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 24 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariana Islands region | M7.7 | 1940 | 15 km | Mariana |
| Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islandstsunami | M7.7 | 2016 | 196 km | Mariana |
| 198 km E of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands | M7.6 | 1990 | 11 km | Pacific |
| Northern Mariana Islands | M7.5 | 1902 | – | Mariana |
| Mariana Islands region | M7.5 | 1940 | 15 km | Pacific |
| Mariana Islands region | M7.2 | 1905 | 200 km | Mariana |
Volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 3 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is the Northern Mariana Islands on?
The Northern Mariana Islands sits entirely on the Mariana Plate.
Is the Northern Mariana Islands on a plate boundary?
2 plate boundaries run through or along the Northern Mariana Islands: the Mariana-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 6.3 cm/yr) and the Philippine Sea-Mariana boundary (divergent, about 3.1 cm/yr).
Does the Northern Mariana Islands get earthquakes?
The Northern Mariana Islands has frequent large earthquakes: 36 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 24 of 213). The largest was the M7.7 Mariana Islands region in 1940.
Are there volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 3 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in the Northern Mariana Islands.