Seismicity and volcanism in the Pacific Northwest: Evidence for the segmentation of the Juan De Fuca Plate

The distributions of earthquakes and late Cenozoic and Quaternary volcanism in Washington and northern Oregon change markedly across two northeast-striking lines, one near Mount Rainier and one near Mount Hood. On the basis of these observations and a comparison with the Nazca subduction zone, we propose that the Juan de Fuca subduction zone is divided into two segments. Landward of the coastal thrust zone, we suggest the Juan de Fuca plate dips more steeply beneath the southern segment than beneath the northern segment.