GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Why do so many earthquakes originate in this region? The belt exists along boundaries of tectonic plates, where plates of mostly oceanic crust are sinking (or subducting ) beneath another plate. Earthquakes in these subduction zones are caused by slip between plates and rupture within plates.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Earth’s crust (the outer layer of the planet) is made up of several pieces called tectonic plates and most earthquakes occur along their edges.

Detailed explanation-3: -Over 80 per cent of large earthquakes occur around the edges of the Pacific Ocean, an area known as the ‘Ring of Fire’; this where the Pacific plate is being subducted beneath the surrounding plates. The Ring of Fire is the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.

Detailed explanation-4: -Tectonic plates move very slowly relative to each other, typically a few centimetres per year, but this still causes a huge amount of deformation at the plate boundaries, which in turn results in earthquakes.

Detailed explanation-5: -Earthquakes occur along all types of plate boundaries: subduction zones, transform faults, and spreading centers. However, there are earthquakes which occur within plates.