Juan de Fuca Plate - Definition and Overview

The Juan de Fuca Plate is a tectonic plate subducting under the northerly portion of the western side of the North American Plate. It is bounded on the south by the San Andreas Fault and along the west by the Pacific Plate. The Juan de Fuca Plate has fractured into three pieces. The central piece retains the Juan de Fuca name, whereas the southern piece is known as the Gorda Plate and the northern piece is known as the Explorer Plate.

This subducting plate system has formed the volcanic Cascade Range, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, along the west coast of North America from southern British Columbia to northern California.

The last major earthquake on the Juan de Fuca was the magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake. From Japanese records, it took place in the evening of Tuesday, January 26, 1700.

External link

• National Geographic on Japanese records verifying an American earthquake (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1208_031208_tsunami.html)

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