The
Australian Plate is a major
tectonic plate in the
eastern and, largely, in the
southern hemispheres. Originally a part of the ancient continent of
Gondwana, Australia remained connected to
India and
Antarctica until approximately when India broke away and began moving north. Australia and Antarctica began rifting and completely separated roughly The Australian plate later fused with the adjacent
Indian Plate beneath the
Indian Ocean to form a single
Indo-Australian Plate. However, recent studies suggest that the two plates have once again split apart and have been separate plates for at least 3 million years and likely longer. The Australian plate includes the continent of
Australia, including
Tasmania, as well portions of
New Guinea,
New Zealand, and the
Indian Ocean basin.