Iranian Plate



The Iranian Plate is a small tectonic plate thought to underlie the Iranian 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.