8 Facts About The Ring Of Fire, The Most Earthquake Prone Region Of The World

The ‘Ring of Fire’, also called ‘The Pacific Ring Of Fire’ is a horseshoe shaped region in the Pacific Ocean that extends from South America and North America to Eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The region is infamous for its constant seismic activity and the presence of a large number of volcanoes.

Take a look at some of the most fascinating facts about the region.

1. The region extends for over 40000 Km, covering nations like USA, Russia and Chile.

Image Source
Image Source

Countries like Japan, Indonesia and New Zealand are almost entirely covered by the ‘Ring of Fire’.

 

2. 452 dormant and active volcanoes of the world are located in the region, which is 75% of the total number of volcanoes in the world.

800px-llaima_eruption2_crop
Image Source

The Llaima volcano is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Chile. Thousands of people of nearby villages had to be evacuated when it last erupted in 2008.

 

3. About 90% of the earthquakes around the world are reported from the regions located in the ‘Ring of Fire’.

Image Source
Image Source

A 9.1 magnitude hit the Pacific coast of Tohoku in Japan, lying on the ‘Ring of Fire’. The earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in the history of the nation. and caused over 15000 deaths and left thousands other injured.

 

4. 22 of the 25 largest volcanic eruptions in the last 11,700 years occurred in the ‘Ring of Fire’.

19991102_tung_large
Image Source

The Tungaruha volcanic eruption in August 2016 was accompanied by a 10 Km high ash cloud that got spread over an area of thousands of square kilometres.

 

5. The Pacific plate, on which the Ring lies, is the largest Tectonic plate of the Earth.

Image Source
Image Source

The plate spreads over an area of 103 million square kilometres.

 

6. Most of the active volcanoes in the ring are situated underwater.

Image Source
Image Source

At 1100 meters depth, West Mata is the deepest recorded volcano.

 

7. Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand is the most active volcano in the ring, with yearly minor eruptions and major eruptions every 50 years.

Image Source
Image Source

Although an active volcano, Mt Ruapehu has two commercial ski fields that attract a lot of tourists from June to October.

 

8. Japan’s tallest and most famous mountain, Mount Fuji is an active volcano in the Ring of Fire

Image Source
Image Source

The volcano last erupted in 1707-08 and is depicted in various art forms as the symbol of Japan.

People in nations like Japan have used a number of techniques to avert the dangers of earthquakes. Building earthquake proof homes and developing technologies to predict earthquakes being some of them.

However, these methods prove to be of little to no use at the time of the calamity.

Source: National Geographic

Cover Image Source

📣 Storypick is now on Telegram! Click here to join our channel (@storypick) and never miss another great story.