The last two months witnessed a number of earthquakes – Japan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, parts of India, Indonesia, Philippines, Ecuador, France and Vanuatu. Do you notice a connection between some of them? Yes, except for Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and France, they are located in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. And this region is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and is named the Ring of Fire. It is an arc, comprising mountains, volcanoes and oceanic trenches.
As much as 90 per cent of the world’s earthquakes happen in this region, while the Himalayan regions, Java and the north Atlantic Ocean fall under the Alpide belt, which experiences 6 per cent of the earthquakes. The region has also experienced 25 largest volcanic eruptions in the last 100 centuries. Why is it susceptible to such seismic activities? The answer lies deep within. This is due to the movement of earth’s lithosphere. The Pacific plate moves faster than the ones in the Atlantic basin. These tectonic plates are like rafts on the surface of the Earth. They move, collide and slide against each other. When a large plate like the Pacific collides or interacts with a number of large and small plates in the surrounding area, a large amount of energy is emitted. This sudden release of energy causes seismic waves that make the ground shake, resulting in an earthquake.
This energy also melts rocks into magma, which rises to the surface as lava and forms volcanoes.
Take this quiz
1. How many active and dormant volcanoes are located within the Ring of Fire?
Volcano in Barren Island in Andaman & Nicobar Islands emits smoke and lava on June 02, 2005. Photo: V. Ganesan
2. The picture shows the only confirmed active volcano in South Asia. Located in India, it erupted last in 2005 and it was linked to the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, which also caused the tsunami. Identify this mountain.
3. This mountain located in Washington is considered to be the most dangerous in the world. Listed as a Decade Volcano, it last erupted in 1894.
4. This country was earlier attached to the Eurasian continent. But the subduction of Pacific plates pulled it eastward and created its islands. Which country are we talking about?
Fact file
The Pacific Ring of Fire is a horseshoe shaped area around the Pacific Ocean that contains subduction zones and deep trenches.
The Ring of Fire stretches from New Zealand northward along the eastern edge of Asia, then east across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and then south along the western coasts of North and South America.
Identify this famous film director
Explorer James Cameron emerges from the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible after his successful solo dive March 26, 2012 to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean. Cameron plunged about seven miles (11 kilometers) to the bottom of the Marina Trench in the western Pacific, where temperatures are barely above freezing and the pressure is a crushing thousand times that at sea level. The dive was part of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, the National Geographic Society and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research. One-time use for coverage or promotion of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE dated 2012 and exclusively in conjunction thereof. Copying, distribution, archiving, sublicensing, sale, or resale of the image is prohibited. AFP PHOTO/HANDOUT/ Mark Thiessen/National Geographic Filmmaker and National Geographic == One-time use for coverage or promotion of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE dated 2012 and exclusively in conjunction thereof. Copying, distribution, archiving, sublicensing, sale, or resale of the image is prohibited == DEFAULT: Failure to comply with the prohibitions and requirements set forth above will obligate the individual or entity receiving this image to pay a fee determined by National Geographic.
