There is a real Ring of Fire on Earth: Here’s all about it
We have all seen a ring of fire in a circus, right? Humans and animals jump through it as a show of bravery. However, for literature lovers, Ring of Fire is a series of speculative fictions based on history and set in the backdrop of Europe’s 30 Years’ War, a destructive conflict spanning from 1618 to 1648. But today, we are going to talk about the real Ring of Fire that is harboured by Earth. It’s an area along the Pacific Ocean that is full of active volcanoes and earthquakes. Talk about creativity by geologists!
This belt is also known as the Circum–Pacific Belt. However, what’s intriguing is that the Ring of Fire accounts for more than 75% of volcanoes worldwide and some of the strongest earthquakes in the world. So, you can say that the Ring of Fire is the belt with the greatest volcanic and earthquake activities in the world. But why is it called the Ring of Fire and how big it really is? Curious to know? Let us find out!
Why is it called the Ring of Fire?
The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped, seismically active belt of earthquakes and volcanoes on Earth. When the volcanoes are active, it appears as if the border of the belt is on fire! Imagine having an aerial view of the belt, with so many active volcanoes. It does look like a ring of fire, right? Now you know, it truly is a fitting name for this region!
How big is the Ring of Fire?
The Ring of Fire stretches from New Zealand in a circular arc to Tonga, an archipelago of 171 islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. In addition, the belt touches the boundaries of the Philippines, Japan, Kuril Island, North America and the Andes mountains. Its length is over 40,000 km! Phew!
But why are there so many volcanoes and earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean? This is because the belt passes through several tectonic plates, such as the Pacific plate, Juan de Fuca plate, Philippine Plate, Cocos plate, Nazca plate and North American plate. No wonder it is home to more than 90% of the world’s seismic activity and 75% of volcanoes! This belt has more than 450 volcanoes! Quite some number, right?
Significant earthquakes and volcanoes
During the 1960s, this belt place recorded some of the strongest seismic activities. One earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.5, occurred in Chile in 1960, while another occurred in Alaska, in 1962, with a magnitude of 9.2. The earthquake magnitude scale is a scale of 1–10 units. To put things in perspective, a magnitude of 5 to 6 units can cause slight damage to buildings and structures. A magnitude of 6 to 7 may cause a lot of damage to populated areas, and a magnitude of 7 to 8 can cause severe damage. So, no wonder the earthquakes of Chile and Alaska mentioned above are regarded as the strongest ones instrumentally recorded. In addition to these, several major volcanic events have been recorded here. The volcanic eruptions of Mount Tambora in 1815, Krakatoa in 1883, Novarupta in 1912 and Mount Saint Helens in 1980 are some examples.