Knowra Indo-Australian plate Indo-Australian plate A major tectonic plate comprising the Indian subcontinent, Australia, and adjoining ocean floor. Its motion and deformation are often described using separate Indian and Australian plates.
Plate tectonics : The theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into moving plates whose interactions shape the surface. The Indo-Australian plate is one of the major moving plates in this system.
Himalayas : A mountain range formed chiefly by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Their uplift records convergence along the plate's northern margin.
Gondwana : An ancient southern supercontinent that included the landmasses now forming India, Australia, Antarctica, Africa, and South America. India and Australia inherited their continental foundations from this supercontinent.
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami : A megathrust earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004 that killed more than 200,000 people across the Indian Ocean region. Rupture on the plate's subduction boundary generated the devastating tsunami.
Indian Plate : A tectonic plate carrying the Indian subcontinent and adjoining ocean floor. Its northward motion and deformation are often distinguished from the Australian plate's.
Tibetan Plateau : A vast elevated region north of the Himalaya, uplifted and deformed during India–Eurasia convergence. Its growth reflects the far-reaching effects of the Indian plate's collision.
Indian Ocean : The ocean bounded by Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Southern Ocean, opened through the breakup of Gondwana. Its floor includes extensive crust carried by the Indian and Australian portions.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami : A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami caused by Pacific Plate subduction beneath northeastern Japan. It offers a comparison with a similarly large megathrust rupture on a different plate boundary.
Australian Plate : A tectonic plate carrying Australia and parts of the surrounding ocean floor. It is commonly treated as a separate plate from the Indian portion.
Sumatra–Andaman earthquake : The 2004 magnitude 9.1 earthquake caused by rupture of the Sunda megathrust off Sumatra. It demonstrated the seismic hazard where the plate subducts beneath Southeast Asia.
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