The 'North American Plate' is a
tectonic plate covering most of
North America, extending eastward to the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the
Cherskiy Range in East
Siberia.
The easterly side is a
divergent boundary with the
Eurasian Plate to the north and the
African Plate to the south forming the northern part of the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The southerly side is a boundary with the
Cocos Plate to the west and the
Caribbean Plate to the east.
The westerly side is a
convergent boundary with the subducting
Juan de Fuca Plate to the north and a
transform boundary with the
Pacific Plate to the south along the
San Andreas Fault.
On the northerly side is a continuation of the Mid-Atlantic ridge, here called the
Mid-Arctic Ridge.
On its western edge the
Farallon Plate has been
subducting under the North American Plate since the
Jurassic period. The Farallon Plate has almost completely subducted beneath the western portion of the North American Plate leaving that part of the North American Plate in contact with the Pacific Plate and creating the
San Andreas Fault. The Juan de Fuca, Cocos, and Nazca Plates are remnants of the Farallon Plate.
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