What is the "Ring of Fire"?
Most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions do not strike randomly but occur in specific areas, such as along plate boundaries. One such area is the circum-Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Pacific Plate meets many surrounding tectonic plates. The Ring of Fire is the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.
Learn more: U.S. Volcanoes and Current Activity Alerts
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USGS publishes a new blueprint that can help make subduction zone areas more resilient
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EarthWord–Subduction
It’s not flirting for submarines, but this week’s EarthWord does feature the ocean...
Subduction Fault Zone Diagram
A figure showing the oceanic plate sliding beneath the continental plate. Credit: USGS
Redoubt Volcano viewed from the northwest following the April 4, 2009 eruption
Redoubt Volcano viewed from the northwest following the April 4, 2009 eruption (Event 19). Steam rises from the summit crater, pyroclastic flow and surge deposits drape the flanks, and lahar deposits cover the Drift River Valley.
A gas plume arising from Augustine Volcano during it's eruptive phase 2005-06.
A gas plume arising from Augustine Volcano during it's eruptive phase 2005-06. This photo was taken during a FLIR/maintenance flight on January 24, 2006.
Lava Floor
This is an animated GIF of the collapse of the Pu'u 'O 'o Crater Floor on March 5, 2011.
Oceanic subduction zone
General diagram of an oceanic subduction zone. Sumatra and the Andaman Islands are part of an island arc.
this figure is taken from the online edition of This Dynamic Earth
Pacific Plate boundaries and relative motion
Map of the Pacific Plate boundaries and relative motion, from This Dynamic Planet: World Map of Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Impact Craters, and Plate Tectonics. Third Edition (Published 2006)
By Tom Simkin,1 Robert I. Tilling,2 Peter R. Vogt3,1 Stephen H. Kirby,2 Paul Kimberly,1 and David B.
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