From this high up, with proper enhancement (see thumbnail), the tectonic plate known as Scotia Plate can be seen in its entirety. The eastern sliver of the visible boundary is the South Sandwich Microplate, containing the South Sandwich Islands (just west of the visible trench). These two plates are actually pulling apart from each other, with the Sandwich plate subducting under the much larger South American Plate.
Scotia Plate
© Google Maps
No Thumbnail
© Bing Maps
By romulusnr @ 2005-12-06 16:59:51
If you wanted to go explore the plate in some kind of submersible, would you need permission from Tony Blair or is the plate truly in international waters where one can freely go and do as they please?
As for South Sandwich Microplate, it may actually be mostly within SGSSI waters.
/me puts "Natural - Underwater" on his category wish list