The "Ring of Fire" at the edge of the Pacific Ocean triggers 75% of volcanic eruptions and 90% of earthquakes. What does this mean?

The Earth is filled with volcanoes, and the eruptions of some of them can be particularly hazardous for humans. However, volcanoes are not evenly distributed across the surface of our planet. For instance, New Zealand, Hawaii, Japan, and the northwest United States experience significantly more destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions than other regions. But why is this the case? Scientists have provided an answer, as reported by IFLScience.

Although these volcanically active areas are far apart, they are all actually connected to the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Pacific Ring of Fire is a 40,000-kilometer-long horseshoe-shaped tectonic belt that runs along the edges of the Pacific Ocean and accounts for 75% of the world's volcanic activity and about 90% of all earthquakes.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Ring of Fire consists of more than 450 volcanoes, and despite its name, it actually takes the shape of a horseshoe. This tectonic belt stretches "from the southern tip of South America, along the western coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, down through Japan, and into New Zealand."

The Ring of Fire may appear horseshoe-shaped, but scientists note this is only because we do not see the entire picture. Some researchers believe that the Ring of Fire could actually close in if several active and inactive volcanoes in Antarctica were included.

Previous studies have already shown that 3 out of 4 of the world's volcanoes can actually be found along the Ring of Fire. For comparison, if volcanoes were evenly distributed, they would be located every 88 meters apart. Unfortunately, in the real world, it's not that simple. For instance, Japan is not very large, yet it is home to up to 10% of all volcanic activity on Earth.

Experts also point out that the Ring of Fire is responsible not only for the eruptions of most volcanoes on Earth but also for 90% of earthquakes.

What Created the Pacific Ring of Fire?

The lithosphere is divided into seven very large continental and oceanic plates, six or seven medium-sized regional plates, and several smaller ones. It is known that these plates move relative to each other at a rate of 5 to 10 centimeters per year and interact along their boundaries—either diverging or sliding past one another.

The leading theory suggests that these interactions are responsible for most of the seismic and volcanic activity on the planet. Plate movements cause mountains to rise where plates collide or converge, and continents to split and oceans to form where plates diverge or pull apart.

Previous research has shown that the Ring of Fire simply follows the meeting points of a whole group of these tectonic plates. Most volcanic activity occurs along subduction zones, which are convergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates meet.

The Future of the Ring of Fire

Researchers predict that the Pacific Ocean will completely disappear in the future. Experts believe this will not be due to an ecological disaster but rather the scale of tectonic activity around the ocean.

Scientists utilized a supercomputer to trace the future evolution of the Earth's tectonic plates and discovered that in less than 300 million years, the Pacific Ocean is likely to close. As a result of this event, a new supercontinent, Pangaea Ultima, will form.