Major and minor tectonic plates near the Philippines include: Major Plates:
- Philippine Sea Plate: An oceanic plate located east of the Philippines; interacts heavily with the Philippines and surrounding plates. It subducts under the Philippine Mobile Belt at the Philippine Trench on the east side of the islands.
- Eurasian Plate (Sunda Plate): To the west of the Philippines, this plate subducts eastward under the Philippine Mobile Belt along trenches such as the Manila Trench.
- Pacific Plate: To the east and northeast, the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Philippine Sea Plate and interacts with it at trenches like the Mariana Trench.
Minor Plates/Microplates:
- Philippine Mobile Belt (also called a microplate): It encompasses the major parts of the Philippine archipelago itself and is tectonically distinct from the Philippine Sea Plate.
- Caroline Plate: A smaller oceanic plate located to the southeast of the Philippines, near the Philippine Sea Plate.
- Palawan Microcontinental Block: A microcontinental block to the west of the Philippine Mobile Belt, considered a minor tectonic block linked to the Eurasian Plate.
The area is tectonically complex with the interactions of these plates and microplates resulting in multiple subduction zones, trenches, and active fault systems like the Philippine Fault. The Philippines lies in a convergent zone between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate with the Philippine Mobile Belt in between. In summary:
Plate Name| Type| Location/Relation to Philippines
---|---|---
Philippine Sea Plate| Major (Oceanic)| East of Philippines, subducts at
Philippine Trench
Eurasian Plate (Sunda)| Major (Continental)| West of Philippines, subducts
eastward at Manila Trench
Pacific Plate| Major (Oceanic)| East/Northeast, interacts with Philippine Sea
Plate
Philippine Mobile Belt| Minor/Microplate| Covers most of Philippine
archipelago, tectonically distinct
Caroline Plate| Minor (Oceanic)| (Southeast of Philippines, near Philippine
Sea Plate)
Palawan Microcontinental Block| Minor/Microcontinental| West of Philippine
Mobile Belt
This configuration leads to the Philippines being one of the most seismically active regions due to the multiple active plate boundaries converging around it. The tectonics also cause volcanic arcs and frequent earthquakes in the area. This information is based on geotectonic studies describing the plate boundaries and subduction zones around the Philippines.
