Arabian plate
The Arabian plate is a minor tectonic plate in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres.
It is one of the three continental plates that have been moving northward in geological history and colliding with the Eurasian plate. This collision is resulting in a mingling of plate pieces and mountain ranges extending in the west from the Pyrenees, crossing Southern Europe to Iranian plateau, forming the Alborz and the Zagros Mountains, to the Himalayas and ranges of Southeast Asia.
Lexicology
The Arabian plate is a designation of the region, and it is also sometimes referred to as the Arab plate.Borders
The Arabian plate consists mostly of the Arabian Peninsula; it extends westward to the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea and northward to the Levant. The plate borders are:- East, with the Indo-Australian plate, at the Owen fracture zone
- South, with the African plate to the west and the Somali plate and the Indo-Australian plate to the east
- West, a left lateral fault boundary with the African plate called the Dead Sea Transform, and a divergent boundary with the African plate called the Red Sea Rift which runs the length of the Red Sea;
- North, convergent boundary with the Anatolian plate and Eurasian plate, including the East Anatolian Fault, Zagros fold and thrust belt, and Makran Trench.
History
The collision between the Arabian plate and Eurasia is pushing up the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Because the Arabian plate and Eurasian plate collide, some cities such as those in southeastern Turkey may undergo earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.
Countries, regions, and cities
Countries within the plate include Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Regions include the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, parts of Awdal, the Khuzestan province, the Southeastern Anatolia region, and the Southern Denkalya subregion.The largest cities in the Arabian plate, by population, are : Amman, Baghdad, Riyadh, Dubai, Jeddah, Doha, Aintab, and Halab.