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The Pacific plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million km 2 (40 million sq mi), it is the largest tectonic plate. [2] The plate first came into existence as a microplate 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Izanagi plates. The Pacific plate subsequently grew ...
The geology of New Zealand is noted for its volcanic activity, earthquakes and geothermal areas because of its position on the boundary of the Australian Plate and Pacific Plates. New Zealand is part of Zealandia, a microcontinent nearly half the size of Australia that broke away from the Gondwanan supercontinent about 83 million years ago. [1]
The Hikurangi Subduction Zone is an active subduction zone extending off the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, where the Pacific and Australian plates collide. [2] [3] The subduction zone where the Pacific Plate goes under the Kermadec Plate offshore of Gisborne accommodates approximately 6 cm/year (2.4 in/year) of plate movement while off the Wairarapa shore this decreases to perhaps ...
Map of the northern end of the Alpine Fault and Marlborough Fault System. The Pacific plate and Indo-Australian plate boundary forms the Macquarie Fault Zone in the Puysegur Trench off the southwestern corner of the South Island and comes onshore as the Alpine Fault just north of Milford Sound.
Map of the Zealandia continent that shows the Hikurangi Margin as a red dotted line arising from the Chatham Rise, New Zealand intersection. The Hikurangi Trough (previously known as the Hikurangi Trench) [1] [a] is a sea floor feature of the Pacific Ocean off the north-east South Island and the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand.
The Pacific Plate lies to the east of the Alpine Fault and the Australian Plate lies to the west. The Pacific Plate is sliding SSW at about 35mm/yr, relative to the Australian Plate, and rising up 10mm/yr, generating the Southern Alps. The Alpine Fault did not develop until early Miocene times (23 Ma).
This map can be enlarged if required. The Kermadec Trench is a linear ocean trench in the south Pacific Ocean. It stretches about 1,000 km (620 mi) from the Louisville Seamount Chain in the north (26°S) to the Hikurangi Plateau in the south (37°S), north-east of New Zealand's North Island. [1]
An annotated relief map. New Zealand is located in the South Pacific Ocean at , near the centre of the water hemisphere. [4] It is a long and narrow country, extending 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) along its north-north-east axis with a maximum width of 400 kilometres (250 mi). [5]