What is the size and composition of the South American Plate?

The South American Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the South American continent and a vast portion of the Atlantic Ocean seabed. Like all tectonic plates, it forms part of the lithosphere and is composed of both continental crust and oceanic crust. It is bounded by divergent, convergent, and complex boundaries with several other major plates.

What we know

• The South American Plate includes the continent of South America as well as a sizable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the African plate. [2]
• Tectonic plates, including the South American Plate, are composed of the crust and uppermost mantle, which together are referred to as the lithosphere and are around 100 km thick. [4]
• The plate consists of two principal material types: oceanic crust, which is dominated by mafic basaltic rocks, and continental crust, which consists principally of lower-density felsic granitic rocks. [4]
• The easterly edge of the South American Plate features a divergent boundary with the African plate, forming the southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. [2]

Where to go next

• how it workedHow do tectonic plates interact at convergent boundaries?
• what caused itWhat caused the formation of the Andes Mountains?
• compared withWhat is the African Plate?
• how we knowHow does the Nazca plate subduct under South America?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the major tectonic plates on Earth?
• an unexpected connectionHow are vehicle registration plates related to the geography of South America?Both subjects share the common term plates, linking large-scale geological structures of the Earth's crust to localized administrative vehicle identification markers.

Sources

• [1]South American Plate (Wikidata Q119490) · CC0 1.0
• [2]South American plate · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Vehicle registration plates of South Korea · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]List of tectonic plates · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Vehicle registration plates of South Africa · CC BY-SA 4.0