2 Active Seismic Zone

Ecuador is an extremely active seismic zone since it lies above the boundary where two large tectonic plates meet; the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.

Try This!

Tectonic Plates

You have access to all the layers in The Layered Earth. To view the tectonic plate layers:

  • Click on the Layer List button located on the right side of the main window.
  • Navigate through the following subdirectories by clicking on the subdirectory 'arrow' symbol beside each subdirectory name:

    LAYERS → PLATE TECTONICS → TECTONIC PLATES

  • A number of subdirectories will now be visible.
  • Expand the TECTONIC PLATES (SHADED) layer.
  • Now expand the Nazca Plate layer and click the Outline and Label checkboxes. Expand the Map sublayer and select Base Image. Do the same for the South American Plate layer. These two plates will now be highlighted and colored in on the globe.