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The easterly side is a [[divergent boundary]] with the [[African Plate]] forming the southern part of the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]]. The southerly side is a complex boundary with the [[Antarctic Plate]] and the [[Scotia Plate]]. The westerly side is a [[convergent boundary]] with the subducting [[Nazca Plate]]. The northerly side is a boundary with the [[Caribbean Plate]] and the oceanic crust of the [[North American Plate]]. At the [[Chile Triple Junction]] in [[Taitao Peninsula|Taitato]]-[[Tres Montes Peninsula]], an oceanic ridge — the [[Chile Rise]] — is subducting under the South American plate.
The easterly side is a [[divergent boundary]] with the [[African Plate]] forming the southern part of the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]]. The southerly side is a complex boundary with the [[Antarctic Plate]] and the [[Scotia Plate]]. The westerly side is a [[convergent boundary]] with the subducting [[Nazca Plate]]. The northerly side is a boundary with the [[Caribbean Plate]] and the oceanic crust of the [[North American Plate]]. At the [[Chile Triple Junction]] in [[Taitao Peninsula|Taitato]]-[[Tres Montes Peninsula]], an oceanic ridge — the [[Chile Rise]] — is subducting under the South American plate.


But Hole licker
The South American Plate is in motion, moving westward away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The eastward-moving and more dense [[Nazca Plate]] is subducting under the western edge of the South American Plate along the Pacific coast of the continent at a rate of 77 mm per year.<ref name="TCLEE 32">{{cite book|title=Pisco, Peru, Earthquake of August 15, 2007: Lifeline Performance|publisher=ASCE, Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering|location=Reston, VA|isbn=9780784410615|url=http://www.asce.org/Product.aspx?id=2147486137&productid=16540}}</ref> This collision of plates is responsible for lifting the massive [[Andes Mountains]] and causing the volcanoes which are strewn throughout them.

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Revision as of 16:42, 12 March 2014

  The South American plate, shown in purple

The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The easterly side is a divergent boundary with the African Plate forming the southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The southerly side is a complex boundary with the Antarctic Plate and the Scotia Plate. The westerly side is a convergent boundary with the subducting Nazca Plate. The northerly side is a boundary with the Caribbean Plate and the oceanic crust of the North American Plate. At the Chile Triple Junction in Taitato-Tres Montes Peninsula, an oceanic ridge — the Chile Rise — is subducting under the South American plate.

But Hole licker

References