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Manus Plate
The Manus Plate is forming in an active back-arc basin north of Papua New Guinea, where extension behind a subduction zone is creating new oceanic crust. The Manus Basin hosts black smoker hydrothermal vents with some of the hottest vent fluids ever recorded, exceeding 400°C. These vents support unique extremophile organisms and have attracted significant scientific interest for astrobiology research.
Plate Information
Size: 0.04 million km²
Movement: Complex
Speed: Variable
Countries: 0
Countries & Territories
This plate is entirely oceanic with no land masses.
Key Facts
- One of the smallest plates
- Part of a back-arc spreading system
- High volcanic activity
- Complex boundary interactions