The Antarctic plate is a tectonic plate containing the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau, and some remote islands in the Southern Ocean and other surrounding . After breakup from Gondwana (the southern part of the supercontinent Pangea), the Antarctic plate began moving the continent of Antarctica south to its present isolated location, causing the continent to develop a much colder climate.
The Antarctic plate has an area of about .
The Antarctic plate's movement is estimated to be at least per year towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Subduction beneath South America
The Antarctic plate started to
subduction beneath South America 14 million years ago in the
Miocene. At first it subducted only in the southernmost tip of Patagonia, meaning that the Chile triple junction lay near the Strait of Magellan. As the southern part of the
Nazca plate and the
Chile Ridge became consumed by subduction the more northerly regions of the Antarctic plate began to subduct beneath Patagonia so that the Chile triple junction lies at present in front of
Taitao Peninsula at 46°15' S.
[
The subduction of the Antarctic plate beneath South America is held to have uplifted Patagonia as it reduced the previously vigorous down-dragging flow in the Earth's mantle caused by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath Patagonia. The dynamic topography caused by this uplift raised Quaternary-aged raised beach and beaches across the Atlantic coast of Patagonia.]
Land
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Amsterdam Island (France)
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Antarctica
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Crozet Islands (France)
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Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia)
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Heard Island
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McDonald Islands
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Kerguelen Islands (France)
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Peter I Island
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Prince Edward Islands (South Africa)
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Saint Paul Island (France)
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South Orkney Islands
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South Shetland Islands
