Nearly 700 miles long, the earthquake zone is located by the North American Plate off the coast of Pacific British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

地震带位于太平洋的大不列颠哥伦比亚省、华盛顿州、俄勒冈州和北加州沿海的北美板块，近700英里长。

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The other part of the state is on what is known as the North American plate.

这个州的其他部分则位于北美板块之上。

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At San Francisco the Pacific plate which is moving towards the northwest meets the north American plate.

不断向西北移动的太平洋板块在旧金山同北美板块相遇。

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Scientists say the Pacific plate is moving toward the northwest, while the North American plate is moving more to the southeast.

VOA: special.2010.01.12

But on that fateful Friday, when the North American plate slid over the Pacific plate along a subduction zone running 130km (80 miles) off the Pacific coast of northern Japan, the shock leapt from the first segment to a second and on to a third, extending the fault zone some 400km and increasing its intensity more than 30-fold.

ECONOMIST: The myth and reality of the Japanese earthquake

There is no question that one of the 5 most powerful earthquakes on record (which forced the North American tectonic plate eastward by 66 feet), combined with 6-meter tsunami waves, creates a terrifying and formidable obstacle for energy facilities.

FORBES: What's Next For Japan: The Short and Long Term