Central America and the Caribbean Plate
Central America and the Caribbean Plate.
Most of Central America sits on the Caribbean Plate and covers an area of 523,000 square kilometers, located in the Western Hemisphere, from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (located in southern Mexico), to the Valley of the Atrato River, in Colombia, separating the ocean Atlantic from the Ocean Pacific.
The Caribbean Plate converges with the Cocos, Nazca, and North American plates to form the Middle America Trench, a major subduction zone. The Middle America Trench is situated some 60–160 kilometers off the Pacific coast of Central America and runs roughly parallel to it. Many large earthquakes have occurred as a result of seismic activity at the Middle America Trench.
Central America is geologically very active, with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurring frequently, and tsunamis occurring occasionally. Many thousands of people have died as a result of these natural disasters.
Most of Central America sits on the Caribbean Plate and covers an area of 523,000 square kilometers, located in the Western Hemisphere, from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (located in southern Mexico), to the Valley of the Atrato River, in Colombia, separating the ocean Atlantic from the Ocean Pacific.
The Caribbean Plate converges with the Cocos, Nazca, and North American plates to form the Middle America Trench, a major subduction zone. The Middle America Trench is situated some 60–160 kilometers off the Pacific coast of Central America and runs roughly parallel to it. Many large earthquakes have occurred as a result of seismic activity at the Middle America Trench.
Central America is geologically very active, with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurring frequently, and tsunamis occurring occasionally. Many thousands of people have died as a result of these natural disasters.