Burma Plate - Definition and Overview

The Burma Plate is a small tectonic plate located in Southeast Asia, often considered a part of the larger Eurasian Plate. The Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, and northwestern Sumatra are located on the plate. The islands on the plate separate the Andaman Sea from the Indian Ocean.

To its east lies the Sunda Plate, from which it is separating along a divergent boundary. To the west is the Indo-Australian Plate, which is subducting beneath the Burma Plate. This subduction zone has formed the Sunda Trench.

On December 26, 2004, a large portion of the boundary between the Burma Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate slipped, causing the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. This megathrust earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0. Over 1200 km of the boundary underwent thrust faulting and shifted an average of 15 m, with the sea floor being uplifted several meters. This rise in the sea floor generated a massive tsunami that killed over a hundred and fifty thousand people along the coast of the Indian Ocean.