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Juan de Fuca Plate
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World map highlighting the major tectonic plates, each shaded in a different color, with labeled names such as Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, South American Plate, and Indo-Australian Plate. Arrows across the map indicate the direction of movement for each plate.
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Juan de Fuca Plate

geological feature, North America
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World map highlighting the major tectonic plates, each shaded in a different color, with labeled names such as Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, South American Plate, and Indo-Australian Plate. Arrows across the map indicate the direction of movement for each plate.
Earth's tectonic plates Map showing Earth's major tectonic plates with arrows depicting the directions of plate movement.

The Juan de Fuca Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate situated west of Oregon and Washington. This plate is actively subducting, or sinking, beneath the North American Plate. This geological process is responsible for the formation of major volcanoes in the Cascade Range, such as Mount St. Helens. The subduction is not continuous, leading to the buildup and release of immense stress, which can cause powerful earthquakes. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a geographical passage located between Canada's Vancouver Island and the United States' Olympic Peninsula in Washington.12

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Pacific mountain system - Geology
  2. Juan de Fuca, Strait of

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