Regions of Greatest Crustal Activity in North and Central America

1. Pacific Northwest (Cascadia)

Juan de Fuca Plate subducts under North American Plate. Active volcanoes (St. Helens, Rainier), frequent earthquakes.

2. San Andreas Fault (California)

Transform boundary between Pacific and North American Plates. Major historical earthquakes.

3. Central America

Cocos Plate subducts under Caribbean and North American Plates. Volcanic arc (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), high seismicity.

4. The Caribbean

Complex microplate interactions. Earthquakes and volcanism in Lesser Antilles (Montserrat, Martinique).