Which tectonic plate is the largest on Earth by area?

The Pacific Plate is the largest tectonic plate on Earth by area.

It consists mainly of oceanic crust beneath the Pacific Ocean and covers roughly 103 million square kilometres, though estimates vary with how its boundaries are defined. The plate is moving generally northwest and is surrounded by several subduction zones, transform faults, and spreading centers.

Much of the Pacific Plate’s edges form the Pacific Ring of Fire, where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. The plate is gradually shrinking as oceanic crust is consumed beneath nearby plates, especially around the western Pacific.

The Pacific Plate is sometimes confused with the Pacific Ocean itself. They are related but not identical: the plate is a moving slab of lithosphere, while the ocean is a body of water whose seafloor includes areas on other plates. The plate also contains the Hawaiian hotspot track, which records its motion across a relatively fixed mantle plume.