Earthquakes, Tsunamis and the Ring of Fire: Siberia-Alaska zone is the most earthquake-prone zone of the world due to...
Ring of Fire: We all have seen several news updates that talk about fact that the vast region stretching from Siberia (Russia) to Alaska (USA) is the most earthquake prone regions of the world, being called the highly active 'Ring of Fire'. The Ring of Fire is a 40,000 km long zone known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions having experienced numerous quakes and occasional tsunamis every year. Here are all the details about 'Ring of Fire' and why the 40,000 km long zone is known as the most earthquake prone region of the world. Why 40,000 km long zone is called 'Ring of Fire'?
In order to understand how earthquakes happen, it must be understood that Earth's surface is made up of several large pieces called tectonic plates which keep moving. The 40,000 km long zone is under the threat of frequent earthquakes because it falls along the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, where the Pacific Plate is slowly sliding and subducting beneath the North American Plate, causing a constant movement builds pressure over time, ultimately, causing powerful earthquakes and sometimes resulting in tsunamis.
Proving the vulnerability of the region is the fact that more than 75% of global earthquakes and 80% of volcanoes occur in this area. Powerful 8.7 magnitude earthquake hits Russia's Kamchatka
A massive earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, prompting a tsunami warning across parts of the Pacific. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake occurred at approximately 23:24 GMT on Tuesday, with its epicentre located about 125 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a major city in the far eastern region of Russia.
The powerful tremor triggered a tsunami alert across parts of the Pacific Ocean, with the USGS warning that destructive tsunami waves could impact coastal areas of Russia and Japan within three hours of the earthquake.
(With inputs from agencies)
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