This evolving map of tectonic plates shows the Earth’s crust is not fixed or static. A recent update introduces new configurations that help scientists interpret volcanoes and earthquakes with greater clarity.
To build the new map, researchers incorporated up-to-date data on plate boundary configurations and how continental crust assembles, according to Derrick Hasterok, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Adelaide in Australia, and his team.
Continents are assembled much like a jigsaw, but with each finished puzzle there is a new reshaping that creates a different image. The new work helps identify the components of this process so geologists can reinterpret earlier reconstructions more accurately.
The researchers note that plate boundaries occupy nearly 16 percent of the Earth’s crust and a larger share of continental landmass, about 27 percent, according to the professor.
The team produced three new laboratory models: a plate model, a province model, and an orogeny model, which addresses the mountain-building process.
Plates and tectonic provinces. University of Adelaide.
There are 26 orogenies, a mountain-formation process that has shaped the current crust. Most of these relate to the creation of supercontinents, as explained by Hasterok.
The effort offers a pathway to update textbooks with fresh maps of tectonic plates and continental formation. The models draw on topographic data and global seismicity, and they had not been revised since 2003.
News and changes
A new license plate model includes several new microplates, such as the Macquarie microplate located south of Tasmania and the Capricorn microplate separating the Indian and Australian plates.
To enrich the model further, the team added more precise information about the boundaries of crease zones. Previous maps showed these as discrete areas rather than as broader regions.
The most significant changes appear in western North America, where the Pacific plate boundary, traditionally drawn along the San Andreas and Queen Charlotte faults, is now depicted as broader—about 1,500 kilometers wider than older representations.
Volcanism accuracy will improve with these revisions, reflecting updated understandings of how molten rock moves beneath the surface.
Another major update is in Central Asia, where the model now includes deformation zones north of India as the plate moves toward Eurasia.
The study appears in Earth Science Studies and provides a more precise view of Earth’s architecture with practical applications in education and industry alike.
More accuracy for volcanoes and earthquakes
The new plate tectonics model better explains the spatial distribution of about 90 percent of earthquakes and 80 percent of volcanoes in the last two million years, compared with prior models that captured roughly 65 percent of seismic events. This enhanced alignment strengthens geohazard risk assessments and informs geodynamic studies of Earth’s evolution, while the provincial model offers clues for mineral exploration.
For those seeking more depth, the reference work invites readers to consult the published study and related geological literature for a fuller technical grounding.
Note: This summary draws on research findings reported by the study authors and summarized in Earth Science Studies.