Behind these Volcanoes
We know a lot of things about volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. We also knew that a volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur.[1] A lot of active volcanoes are found in the Pacific region which are erupting seasonally. The fact behind the active eruptions of the said volcanoes is because they were belong to the area which is called 'Ring of Fire' or the 'Pacific Ring of Fire'.
Pacific Ring of Fire
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
The Pacific Ring of Fire is a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.[2] It is a string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 90% of all earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, and the ring is dotted with 75% of all active volcanoes on Earth.[3] The Pacific Ring of Fire is also called Circum-Pacific Belt.[2]
The Pacific Ring of Fire includes:
~ Andes, the longest continental mountain range in the world, found along the western edges of South America including the countries of Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.[2]
~ Central America, including Costa Rica and Guatemala.
~ North American Cordillera, including Mexico, United States, and Canada.
~ Russia, where Kamchatka Peninsula can be found.
~ Japan, where the most famous in the 20th century were happened. The Great Kanto earthquake of 1923, in which 130,000 people died; and the Great Hanshin earthquake of 17 January 1995, in which 6,434 people died. [2]
~ Philippines, where the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the world's second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, happened. [2]
~ Indonesia, where the volcanoes are among the most active on the Pacific Ring of Fire. [2]
~ New Zealand, where Mount Taranaki can be found.
~ Antarctica, which includes many volcanoes which has been observed to be continously active. [2]
Plate Boundaries
The Ring of Fire is the result of plate tectonics. Tectonic plates are huge slabs of the Earth’s crust, which fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
Convergent Boundaries
A convergent plate boundary is formed by tectonic plates crashing into each other. [3]
Divergent Boundaries
A divergent boundary is formed by tectonic plates pulling apart from each other. [3]
Transform Boundaries
A transform boundary is formed as tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. [3]
Hot Spots
The Ring of Fire is also home to hot spots, areas deep within the Earth’s mantle from which heat rises. [3]
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