·       The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped area comprising hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake sites that encircle the Pacific Ocean.

·       It stretches approximately 40,250 kilometres and runs through 15 countries, including the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, and the Philippines.

·       The Ring of Fire marks the meeting points of several tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, and Philippine plates, among others.

·       The large Pacific Plate encompasses these smaller plates, leading to interactions such as sliding past, colliding into, or moving above or below each other.

·       Earthquakes occur due to the rough edges of these plates getting stuck with one another while the rest of the plate keeps moving. When the stuck edges finally unstick on one of the faults, an earthquake happens.

About Volcanic activity

·       Many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire are formed through a process called subduction, where one tectonic plate is shoved under another.

·       This process occurs when two plates collide, with the heavier plate being forced beneath the lighter plate, creating deep trenches.

·       The subduction process leads to the heating up of the oceanic plate, mixing volatile elements, and producing magma. This magma then rises to the surface, forming volcanoes.

·       Most subduction zones on Earth are located within the Ring of Fire, which explains why it hosts a large number of volcanoes.

·       The collision and subduction of tectonic plates in this region create the ideal conditions for volcanic activity.