The Australian Plate

The Australian Plate

The Indo-Australian Plate is a large crustal plate that includes the continent of Australia and the sub-continent of India. TheIndian Plate and the Australian Plate fused about 43 Ma, stretching from Antarctica in the south to the Himalayas, theIndonesian Islands and New Guinea in the north, and to New Zealand in the east.  It is currently moving to the north-east at about 7 cm/year, considered to be a rapid rate in plate tectonics, though the upper mantle, that is believed to at least partially drive plate movements, is apparently moving at a slower rate. The other driving force believed to be moving the Indo-Australia Plate is the subduction along the northern margins of the plate as it is subducted along the highly volcanic band known as the Pacific "Ring if Fire". In the case of the subduction of the plate, it is being pulled down along the subduction zone by gravity.

                         

Sources. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Australian_Plate