Rodrigues Triple Point

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The Rodrigues Triple Point (also, Rodrigues Triple Junction) is a geologic triple junction in the southern Indian Ocean where three tectonic plates meet: the African Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate, and the Antarctic Plate. The triple point is named for the island of Rodrigues which lies nearby.

The boundaries of the three plates which meet at the Rodrigues Triple Junction are all oceanic spreading centers, making it an R-R-R type triple junction. They are: the Central Indian Ridge (between the African and Indo-Australian plates); the Southwest Indian Ridge (between the African and Antarctic plates); and the Southeast Indian Ridge (between the Indo-Australian and Antarctic plates).

[edit] References

• "Propagation of the Southwest Indian Ridge at the Rodrigues Triple Junction", Journal Marine Geophysical Researches, Dec. 1997