N. American Plate and the Eurasian Plate abutt each other on a line going from Iceland to the Kamchatka Penninsula, but where they show stress during plate adjustments little movement occurs. Adjustments are made in weak points on the borders of these two giant plates: The Caribbean, the plate lob encompassing Indonesia, and the Philippine Plate where deep ocean trenches can be collapsed. The uncharted mid-Pacific is not exempt, showing stress at Hawaii which is building, into the area of many folds where Wake Island has been shaky. As the Atlantic Rift separates, the African Rift is free to move east, creating tension in Kenya. The Antartica Plate reacts to the spreading Atlantic Rift by lifting there, to relieve the pressure coming from the squeeze on the Pacific Plate.
N. American / Eurasian Abutting Kongsberg, Norway KON Bilibino, Russia BIL San Juan, Puerto Rico SJG Guangduong Province, China QIZ Pacific Rim Folding Wake Island, Pacific Ocean WAK Kipapa, Hawaii KIP Africa Rift Spread / Antartica Lift Kilima Mbogo, Kenya KMB South Pole, Antarctica SPA
