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Woodlark Plate
The Woodlark Plate represents a rare example of active continental rifting transitioning into oceanic spreading. The Woodlark Basin is opening at one of the fastest rates for an incipient ocean basin, about 10 cm per year. This provides scientists with a unique natural laboratory to study how continents break apart and new ocean basins form - processes that shaped much of Earth's surface throughout geological history.
Plate Information
Size: 0.3 million km²
Movement: Northeast
Speed: 10 cm/year
Countries: 1
Countries & Territories
Papua New Guinea (partial)
Key Facts
- Active seafloor spreading
- One of the few continental rifts transitioning to oceanic
- High seismic activity
- Fast-spreading ridge