One of the (smallish) tectonic plates making up the Earth's lithosphere.

The Juan de Fuca plate lies on the floor of the Pacific Ocean just off the western edge of North America. It extends from just north of Cape Mendicino in California to just north of the northern tip of Vancouver Island. It is a small plate that has an active spreading zone with the Pacific plate less than 100 miles from where it is being subducted beneath the North American Plate (the Cascadia Subduction Zone).

The northern section ((Ex) on the map) is frequently called the Explorer Plate, as the spreading zone to the west of it is called the Explorer Ridge. The southern section (and spreading zone) is frequently called the Gorda Plate (and Ridge). The transform fault at the bottom is actually an extension of the San Andreas Fault west from the Mendocino Triple Junction.

The following map should illustrate where the plate is fairly well, although the spreading zone directions are somewhat misrepresented: The Pacific Plate moves towards the northwest and the Juan de Fuca Plate (and all of the baby plates) move southeast.

           /    \
          /    __\  British
    <--- /    |  \\   Columbia
Pacific  \ (Ex)\  \\
          \     \  ||
    <---   \     \ \\
           |      \ \\v_________
          /        \_||   ^
  Plate  |         --- \s^
        / --->     \  \/ ^
   <--- |           \     ^ Washington
       /     Juan    |    ^
  <--- |      de      -_ ^
      /     Fuca    --__------
     /     Plate   |  p^
     \             |    ^
      \   ---->    /    ^
       \          |   Oregon
        \         |     ^
         \        |    ^ 
         /        |   ^
    <-- / -->     |----------
       /          |
      /  (Gorda)  |
      ----___     |
             ---__|  California
    Pacific       |
       Plate      |
   

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