Description

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Context:

Japan’s position along the “Ring of Fire”, a string of hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake sites in the Pacific Ocean, makes it vulnerable to frequent earthquakes.

About Ring of Fire

The Ring of Fire, also known as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a chain of numerous volcanoes and earthquake-prone areas that runs along the Pacific Ocean.
It forms a horseshoe-shaped semicircle with a length of approximately 40,250 kilometers.
The Ring of Fire marks the boundaries between several tectonic plates such as the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indo-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine plates.
It passes through 15 other countries, including the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Chile, Peru and the Philippines.

Features of Ring of Fire

Feature	Details
Active Volcanoes	Caused by tectonic plate movements, often through subduction, where one plate is pushed under another, forming deep trenches.
	Hosts over 450 active and inactive volcanoes, representing 75% of Earth's total, arranged in a semicircular or horseshoe shape around the Pacific.
	Most active volcanoes are on the western side, from Russia to New Zealand.
Earthquakes	Frequent due to constant sliding, colliding, or subduction of tectonic plates.
	90% of the world's earthquakes occur here, including the strongest, like the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile (9.5 on the Richter scale).
Trenches	Includes the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench, with a depth of 7 miles.
	Other notable trenches include the Philippine Trench, Challenger Trench, Kuril Kamchatka Trench, Peru Chile Trench, and Tonga Trench.

Why is it more prone to earthquakes?

It witnesses many earthquakes caused by tectonic plates that are constantly sliding, colliding, or moving above or below each other. Since the edges of these boards are quite rough, they jam against each other while the rest of the board moves.
An earthquake occurs when a plate moves far enough and the edges peel off at one of the faults.
There are many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire due to the movement of tectonic plates. Many of the volcanoes were created by a process known as subduction.
It occurs when two plates collide and the heavier plate is pushed under another, creating a deep trench.

Source:

Indian Express

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Discuss the geological significance of the "Ring of Fire" and its role in the occurrence of frequent earthquakes. Highlight the factors contributing to seismic activity in this region and examine the socio-economic impacts of earthquakes on countries situated along the Ring of Fire. (250 words)