South-Eastern Asia
What tectonic plate is the Philippines on?
The Philippines spans 2 tectonic plates: the Sunda Plate (81%) and the Philippine Sea Plate (19%).
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 228
- Holocene volcanoes
- 23
- Land area
- 290,305 km²
Plates under the Philippines
Share of the Philippines's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
3 plate boundaries run through or along the Philippines: the Yangtze-Sunda boundary (transform, about 1.5 cm/yr), the Philippine Sea-Yangtze boundary (convergent, about 8.4 cm/yr) and the Philippine Sea-Sunda boundary (convergent, about 10.0 cm/yr).
- Yangtze and Sunda: transform, 1.5 cm/yr
- Philippine Sea and Yangtze: convergent, 8.4 cm/yr
- Philippine Sea and Sunda: convergent, 10.0 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Philippine Sea-Sunda boundary, where the plates move about 10.0 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 228 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the Philippines since 1900, which ranks it 6 of 213 countries.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake | M8.3 | 1918 | 20 km | Sunda |
| Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake | M8.1 | 1924 | 15 km | Sunda |
| Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake | M8.0 | 1972 | 51 km | Sunda |
| 19 km WNW of Palimbang, Philippines | M7.9 | 1976 | 33 km | Sunda |
| 47 km ESE of Kalbay, Philippines | M7.9 | 1913 | 15 km | Sunda |
| 3 km W of Buga, Philippines | M7.8 | 1948 | 15 km | Sunda |
Volcanoes in the Philippines
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 23 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in the Philippines, the 14th most of any country.
- Kanlaon Stratovolcano · 2,422 m Last eruption 2026
- Mayon Stratovolcano · 2,462 m Last eruption 2026
- Taal Caldera · 311 m Last eruption 2026
- Bulusan Stratovolcano(es) · 1,535 m Last eruption 2025
- Pinatubo Stratovolcano · 1,486 m Last eruption 2021
- Didicas Compound · 228 m Last eruption 1978
- Camiguin Stratovolcano(es) · 1,552 m Last eruption 1953
- Biliran Compound · 1,301 m Last eruption 1939
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is the Philippines on?
The Philippines spans 2 tectonic plates: the Sunda Plate (81%) and the Philippine Sea Plate (19%).
Is the Philippines on a plate boundary?
3 plate boundaries run through or along the Philippines: the Yangtze-Sunda boundary (transform, about 1.5 cm/yr), the Philippine Sea-Yangtze boundary (convergent, about 8.4 cm/yr) and the Philippine Sea-Sunda boundary (convergent, about 10.0 cm/yr).
Does the Philippines get earthquakes?
The Philippines is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 228 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the Philippines since 1900, which ranks it 6 of 213 countries. The largest was the M8.3 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake in 1918.
Are there volcanoes in the Philippines?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 23 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in the Philippines, the 14th most of any country.