eastbound on U.S. Route 2
- Explorer Plate (Wikipedia)
The Explorer Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, which is partially subducted under the North American Plate. Along with the Juan de Fuca Plate and Gorda Plate, the Explorer Plate is a remnant of the ancient Farallon Plate, which has been subducted under the North American Plate. The Explorer Plate separated from the Juan de Fuca Plate roughly 4 million years ago. In its smoother, southern half, the average depth of the Explorer plate is roughly 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) and rises up in its northern half to a highly variable basin between 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) and 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) in depth.
westbound on U.S. Route 2
- Pilchuck River (Wikipedia)
The Pilchuck River (Lushootseed: dxʷkʷiƛ̕əb) is a river in Snohomish County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a tributary of the Snohomish River. The name is derived from the Chinook Jargon pilpil (“blood”, “red”) and chuck (“water”), or “red water”. The Lushootseed name means “flowing red,” kʷiƛ̕ being an archaic term for “red” in Northern Lushootseed.