Earth:Iranian Plate

Short description: Small tectonic plate including Iran and Afghanistan, and parts of Iraq and Pakistan

Topographic view of Iranian plateau, which is said to be situated on the Iranian microplate.

The Iranian Plate is a small tectonic plate thought to underlie the Persian plateau, covering the modern-day countries of Iran and Afghanistan, and parts of Iraq and Pakistan . It is compressed between the Arabian Plate to the southwest, the Eurasian Plate to the north, and the Indian Plate to the southeast. This compression is likely a cause for the very mountainous terrain of the area including the Alborz and Zagros Mountains.

References

• William Bayne Fisher: The Middle East: a Physical, Social, and Regional Geography. Routledge 1978, ISBN:978-0-416-71520-0, p. 15–16