Western Asia
What tectonic plate is the United Arab Emirates on?
The United Arab Emirates sits entirely on the Arabian Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 0
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 71,276 km²
Plates under the United Arab Emirates
Share of the United Arab Emirates's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along the United Arab Emirates: the Arabian-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr).
The fastest of these is the Arabian-Eurasian boundary, where the plates move about 3.5 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in the United Arab Emirates
The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off the United Arab Emirates since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.
Volcanoes in the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates 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 the United Arab Emirates on?
The United Arab Emirates sits entirely on the Arabian Plate.
Is the United Arab Emirates on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along the United Arab Emirates: the Arabian-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr).
Does the United Arab Emirates get earthquakes?
The USGS catalog has no earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or more centered in or just off the United Arab Emirates since 1900. Smaller quakes still happen, and distant large ones can be felt.
Are there volcanoes in the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.