Somali Plate

The Somali Plate or Somalian Plate is a tectonic plate that is being formed as the African Plate is splitting along the East African Rift. The part of the African Plate which lies on the other side of the rift is sometimes referred to as the Nubian Plate. As the rifting is, in geologic terms, just getting underway, these two parts of the African Plate are generally regarded as protoplates rather than as full-fledged independent plates.

The Somali Plate is bounded on the west by the East African Rift, which extends south through East Africa from the triple junction in the Afar Depression, and an undersea continuation of the rift extending southward offshore. The northern boundary is the Aden Ridge along the coast of Saudi Arabia. The eastern boundary is the Central Indian Ridge, the northern portion of which is also known as the Carlsberg Ridge. The southern boundary is the Southwest Indian Ridge. Dating of volcanism in the Comoro Islands and northern Madagascar volcanos indicates a rate of motion to the east over a hotspot of approximately 45 mm/yr.

References

• Emerick, C. M., 1985, Age progressive volcanism in the Comores Archipelago and Northern Madagascar, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, PhD Thesis, Abstract
• Chorowicz, Jean (October 2005). "The East African rift system". Journal of African Earth Sciences 43 (1–3): 379–410. Bibcode 2005JAfES..43..379C. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.019.