The interior of the main continental landmass includes an extensive granitic core called a craton.

This boundary continues from the end of the Gakkel Ridge as the Laptev Sea Rift, on to a transitional deformation zone in the Chersky Range, then the Ulakhan Fault between it and the Okhotsk microplate, and finally the Aleutian Trench to the end of the Queen Charlotte Fault system (see also: Aleutian Arc).

The westerly boundary is the Queen Charlotte Fault running offshore along the coast of Alaska and the Cascadia subduction zone to the north, the San Andreas Fault through California, the East Pacific Rise in the Gulf of California, and the Middle America Trench to the south.

[9][10] The Yellowstone and Anahim hotspots are thought to have first arrived during the Miocene period and are still geologically active, creating earthquakes and volcanoes.

For the most part, the North American plate moves in roughly a southwest direction away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at a rate of about 2.3 centimeters (~1 inch) per year.

At the same time, the Pacific plate is moving to the northwest at a speed of between 7 and 11 centimeters (~3-4 inches) per year.