Coastal parts of Ecuador and southern Colombia lie above the convergent boundary where the Malpelo Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate along the Colombia – Ecuador Trench . At his location the Malpelo Plate , the microplate northeast of the Nazca Plate , is moving to the east relative to South America at a rate of 58 mm per year . North of the Carnegie Ridge , the subduction interface has four recognisable segments , from south to north , the Esmeraldas , Manglares , Tumaco and Patia segments . This plate boundary has been the location of several great historical earthquakes , most associated with damaging tsunamis . In 1906 a 5 – 600 km long segment of the plate interface ruptured , causing a M 8.8 earthquake ( rupturing all four segments ) and a trans-Pacific tsunami
M 8.8 earthquake
1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake
1979 Tumaco earthquake