Farallon Plate

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The Farallon Plate was an ancient, wholly oceanic plate, which began subducting under the west coast of the North American Plate— then located in modern Utah— as Pangaea broke apart during the Jurassic period. Over time the central part of the Farallon Plate completely subducted under the southwestern part of the North American Plate. The remains of the Farallon Plate are the Juan de Fuca Plate subducting under the northern part of the North American Plate, the Cocos Plate subducting under Central America and the Nazca Plate subducting under the South American Plate.

It is thought that much of the plate initially went under North America (particularly the western United States and southwest Canada) at a very shallow angle, creating much of the mountainous terrain in the area (particularly the American Rocky Mountains). A large fragment of the subducted plate is believed to presently be in the mantle under eastern North America.

[edit] See also

• Kula plate

[edit] External links

• Reconstruction of Farallon Plate
• USGS diagram
• Pictures and animations of the subduction of the Farallon Plate at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center:
  • Animation of the Farallon subduction, with special emphasis on the effects on the surface of western North America
  • Pictures of the current location of the subterranean remnants of the Farallon Plate