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Tiny tectonic plate northeast of New Guinea From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Manus Plate is a 100-km microplate located northeast of New Guinea. The Manus Plate was formed in between the North Bismark Plate and the South Bismark Plate. The Manus Plate currently rotates counter-clockwise in the Melanesia area.[1]
| Manus plate | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Minor |
| Movement1 | north-west |
| Speed1 | 92mm/year |
| Features | Pacific Ocean |
| 1Relative to the African plate | |
The Manus Plate formed during the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal, making its maximum age approximately 781,000 years old.[2] The Manus Plate formed in-between and on top of the transform boundaries that were separating the North and South Bismark plates.[2] The plate was formed of young mid-ocean ridge basalt, along with pieces of older oceanic floor that had broken off of the South Bismarck plate.[2]
The north and northeast boundaries of the Manus Plate, with the North Bismark and Pacific plates are both convergent boundaries.[3] The plates southeast borders of the South Bismark plate is a divergent boundary.[3] The southwest boundary bordering the South Bismark plate is a transform boundary. The Manus plate currently has a rate of rotation of 51°/ Ma at the spot, -3.04°N, 150.46°E, in the counter-clockwise direction, due to the plates left lateral motion.[4] This is likely the fastest plate rotation, on Earth at this time.[4]
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