Shetland Plate

Shetland Plate
Shetland Plate shaded in red.
Type	Minor
Coordinates	62°10′S 61°00′W / 62.167°S 61.000°W / -62.167; -61.000
Movement1	Northwest
Speed1	1 to 2 cm (0.39 to 0.79 in)/yr
Features	South Shetland Islands, Southern Ocean
1Relative to the African Plate

The Shetland Plate, or South Shetland Plate, is a tectonic microplate located off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula that contains the South Shetland Islands.^[1] The plate is bordered on three sides by the Antarctic Plate, while the fourth side is bordered by the Scotia Plate. The northwestern border is defined by the South Shetland Trench, separating the Shetland Plate to the south from the Antarctic Plate to the north. This trench is the remnant of a subduction zone where the defunct Phoenix Plate, now part of the Antarctic Plate, subducted under the Antarctic Peninsula and the Shetland Islands. The southeastern border is a rift zone, with the Antarctic Plate creating the Bransfield Basin.^[2] The southwestern and northeastern boundaries are each part of larger fracture zones. The southwestern border is the Hero Fracture Zone and separates the Antarctic Plate to the southwest from the Shetland Plate to the northeast. The northeastern boundary is the Shackleton Fracture Zone and separates the Shetland Plate to the southwest from the Scotia Plate.^[1]