GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Most of the active volcanoes on the Ring of Fire are found on its western edge, from the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, through the islands of Japan and Southeast Asia, to New Zealand.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Ring of Fire, also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Its length is approximately 40, 000 kilometers (24, 900 miles).

Detailed explanation-3: -The Ring of Fire is a direct result of plate tectonics: specifically the movement, collision and destruction of lithospheric plates (e.g. the Pacific Plate) under and around the Pacific Ocean. The collisions have created a nearly continuous series of subduction zones, where volcanoes are created and earthquakes occur.

Detailed explanation-4: -The most common type of volcanoes that are found in the Ring of Fire are island arc volcanoes. These volcanoes are a chain of islands where volcanoes erupt and/or form when one tectonic plate moves under another one.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Ring of Fire is home to 75% of the world’s volcanoes and 90% of its earthquakes. About 1, 500 active volcanoes can be found around the world. Learn about the major types of volcanoes, the geological process behind eruptions, and where the most destructive volcanic eruption ever witnessed occurred.