The Scotia Plate, named after the sea which overlies it, is a tectonic plate on the edge of the South Atlantic and Antarctic Ocean. Thought to have formed during the early Eocene with the opening of the Drake Passage, it is a minor plate whose movement is largely controlled by the two major plates that surround it; the South American plate and Antarctic plate. Having formed as oceanic crust, it is almost completely submerged with only the small exception of the South Georgia Islands on its north-eastern edge and the southern tip of South America.

Bounded by subducting, spreading and transform ridges, the Scotia plate lies in a particular setting. Surrounded by 2 major and 3 minor plates, its tectonic location is generally reflective of the relative motion between the Antarctic plate and the South American plate.

The Southern edge of the plate is bordered by the Antarctic plate forming the South Scotia Ridge. The South Scotia ridge is a left lateral transform boundary sliding at a rate of roughly 11 mm/yr. Though the South Scotia ridge is overall a transform fault, small sections of the ridge are spreading to make up for the somewhat jagged shape of the boundary.