We Could Be Witnessing the Death of a Tectonic Plate, Says Earth Scientist

Live Science ^ | August 7, 2019 | Laura Geggel

[BenLurkin]

A gaping hole in a dying tectonic plate beneath the ocean along the West Coast of the United States may be wreaking havoc at Earth's surface, but not in a way most people might expect.

The researchers in the new study aren't the first to suggest that the Michigan-size Juan de Fuca (pronounced "wahn de fyoo-kuh") plate has a tear. But thanks to a new, detailed dataset, they're the first to say so with certainty.

The Juan de Fuca plate is long, stretching about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) along the Pacific Northwest coast, from Vancouver Island, Canada, to Cape Mendocino, California. "No part of it is above the water. It's a total oceanic plate" that's subducting, or diving beneath another plate, in this case the North American plate (a continental plate), Hawley said.

From 2011 to 2015, scientists boated out over different parts of the Juan de Fuca plate, dropped ocean-bottom seismometers underwater and let these sensors collect seismic data from earthquakes all over the world for a year.

The research is a "thought-provoking idea paper," said Ray Wells, a research geologist emeritus with the U.S. Geological Survey in Portland, Oregon, who was not involved with the study.

"I'm happy to see more data indicating a hole in the Juan de Fuca plate," Wells told Live Science in an email. "The coincidence of the hole with the location of a subducted zone of weakness in the Juan de Fuca plate is interesting and could help to produce a tear."

[Flick Lives]

the Juan de Fuca plate

Sounds like the early-bird special

[TexasGator]

you are too cynical.

[teeman8r]

Will the death of this plate cause the end to California.

[V V Camp Enari 67-68]

It’s all so darn confusing! /s

[StormEye]

It's all the fault fault of Donald Trump and the
voters who put him in office. Lawsuit any day now by
environmentalist, Democrat Party lunatics and global
warming fanatics. The media will encourage them as always.

[richardtavor]

They should rename it the Trump Fault - most overused words in the news..

[llevrok]

This was discovered by the University of Juan de Fuca, otherwise known as Fuca U.

[Mr. K]

Put some duct tape on it.

Or JB Weld

[outofsalt]

Juan de Fuca was a real person, Ioannis Phokas, a Greek marine pilot. He explored the strait for the Spanish Crown.
Cultural appropriation by the Spaniards.

Christopher Columbus was also employed by the Spanish. His Italian name is Cristoforo Colombo. I guess they paid well.

[Equine1952]

Sweet. 🤪

[steve8714]

Mike Oxmaul?

[fieldmarshaldj]

*ping*

[Rastus]

Last time someone called me a wahn de fyoo-kuh, they lost some teeth.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

I read a book titled “Who the Hell is Wanda Fuca”.

[truth_seeker]

Calling Rep. Hank Johnson, D-GA

Democrats like him, say that Republicans are anti-science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7XXVLKWd3Q

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Who's fault?

[TrumpisRight]

>>Great place to put trash - suck it down to the mantle.<<
>>No need for plastic bans.<<

Now that’s a great idea. We’re recycling any longer

[Larry Lucido]

LOL!

[Texas Eagle]

A gaping hole may be wreaking havoc at Earth's surface.... The researchers aren't the first to suggest that the plate has a tear. But thanks to a new, detailed dataset, they're the first to say so with certainty.

Yyyyeahhh. Words like "may" and "suggest" are not congruous with words like "certainty".

[winoneforthegipper]

Eh. Parts of the Juan de Fuca have been slowly melting under eastern parts of the United States for Milena.