At the subduction zone between the Juan de Fuca Plate and the North American Plate, known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the Juan de Fuca Plate is actively being pushed beneath the North American Plate. This region is a convergent plate boundary where the oceanic crust of the Juan de Fuca Plate cools, becomes denser, and subducts under the continental crust of North America along the Cascadia Trench. Currently, the fault zone is locked by friction at shallower depths (less than about 30 km), causing stress to build up over time. This locked state means that strain is accumulating, and the fault may eventually slip in a large megathrust earthquake, which could reach a magnitude of 9.0 or higher. Historical evidence shows it typically produces such massive earthquakes every 400 to 600 years, with the last one occurring around 1700. Scientists estimate approximately a 37% chance of a magnitude 7.1 or greater megathrust earthquake occurring in the next 50 years. Such an earthquake would cause severe shaking along the Pacific Northwest coast and could trigger large tsunamis. Additionally, the subduction causes the North American Plate to uplift gradually due to the forces at work, until the eventual release of this accumulated stress causes rapid land subsidence alongside the earthquake. Furthermore, the release of water from the subducting slab leads to partial melting in the mantle above, fueling volcanic activity in the Cascade Range, including volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier. In summary, the Juan de Fuca and North American plates' subduction zone is currently locked and accumulating stress, posing a significant risk for a large megathrust earthquake and related hazards, including tsunamis and volcanic activity in the Pacific Northwest region.