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Cocos Plate
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World map highlighting the major tectonic plates, each shaded in a different color, with labeled names such as Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, South American Plate, and Indo-Australian Plate. Arrows across the map indicate the direction of movement for each plate.
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Cocos Plate

geology
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World map highlighting the major tectonic plates, each shaded in a different color, with labeled names such as Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, South American Plate, and Indo-Australian Plate. Arrows across the map indicate the direction of movement for each plate.
Earth's tectonic plates Map showing Earth's major tectonic plates with arrows depicting the directions of plate movement.

The Cocos Plate is a geological feature located west of Central America. It is one of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's lithosphere. This plate is characterized by subduction, where it is being pushed beneath other plates, such as the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate.12

This process of subduction is responsible for significant geological activity in the region, including volcanic mountain building along the western margin of Mexico and Central America. The Cocos Plate extends southwestward from the Central American isthmus towards the Galapagos Islands. The East Pacific Rise, a mid-ocean ridge where new oceanic crust is formed, lies to the west of the Cocos Plate, marking the boundary where the Pacific Plate diverges from the Cocos and Nazca plates.134

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. East Pacific Rise
  2. Pacific Ocean - Principal ridges and basins
  3. mountain - The Caribbean chains
  4. subduction zone

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