Solomon Sea Plate

Solomon Sea Plate
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Type	Minor
Approx. Area	250,000 km2
Movement1	north
Speed1	86mm/year
Features	Pacific Ocean
1Relative to the African Plate

The Solomon Sea Plate is a minor tectonic plate to the northwest of the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific Ocean, it roughly corresponds with the Solomon Sea west of Papua New Guinea.

Tectonics

The tectonic regime in this part of the world is extremely complex and involves a number of minor as well as major plates.

The Solomon Sea Plate is an oceanic crustal plate remnant which is disappearing into two subduction zones, one to its north, the other on its southwest margin. Its southeast margin runs along the Woodlark Rise, an undefined compressive zone which may be a transform fault marking the boundary with the adjoining Woodlark Plate.

The northern subduction zone is located where the Solomon Plate is diving below the South Bismarck Plate to the northwest and the Pacific Plate to the northeast. The northwest part of the subduction zone is called the New Britain Subduction Zone. New Britain in Papua New Guinea is the volcanic island formed from this collision and resulting volcanism.

The southwestern subduction zone is where the Solomon Pate is diving below the Indo-Australian Plate.

References

• Preliminary Analysis of the April 2007 Solomon Islands Tsunami, Southwest Pacific Ocean, USGS
• Report on interplate propagation of subduction stress rupture, Solomon earthquake of 2007