Azores Triple Junction
Encyclopedia
The Azores Triple Junction is a geologic triple junction
where the boundaries of three tectonic plates intersect: the North American Plate
, the Eurasian Plate
and the African Plate
. This triple junction is located along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
amidst the Azores
islands, nearly due west of the Straits of Gibraltar. It is classed as a R-R-R triple junction, T type (for its shape), as it is an intersection of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge running north-south and the Terceira Rift
which runs east-southeast.
Triple junction
A triple junction is the point where the boundaries of three tectonic plates meet. At the triple junction a boundary will be one of 3 types - a ridge, trench or transform fault - and triple junctions can be described according to the types of plate margin that meet at them...
where the boundaries of three tectonic plates intersect: the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
, the Eurasian Plate
Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate which includes most of the continent of Eurasia , with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent, and the area east of the Chersky Range in East Siberia...
and the African Plate
African Plate
The African Plate is a tectonic plate which includes the continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and various surrounding ocean ridges.-Boundaries:...
. This triple junction is located along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
amidst the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
islands, nearly due west of the Straits of Gibraltar. It is classed as a R-R-R triple junction, T type (for its shape), as it is an intersection of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge running north-south and the Terceira Rift
Terceira Rift
The Terceira Rift is a geological rift located amidst the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It runs between the Azores Triple Junction to the west and the Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault to the southeast. It separates the Eurasian Plate to the north from the African Plate to the south. The...
which runs east-southeast.