What is The Ring of Fire?
What is Ring of Fire
Pacific Ocean Ring of Fire
The
Ring of Fire is an area around the Pacific Ocean where 70% of the volcanoes are
located and 90% of the earthquakes occur. Subduction zones have formed where the
Pacific Plate is subducting beneath continental and younger ocean plates.
Dormant and active volcanoes on Ring of Fire
There
are 450 either dormant or active volcanoes along the Ring of Fire. The two largest
earthquakes ever recorded occurred on the Ring of Fire in 1960 and 1964.
Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean UPSC -IAS
Novarupta-Katmai eruption
Largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century
The
1912 Novarupta-Katmai volcano eruption was the largest eruption of the 20th
century on the Ring of Fire. The eruption began on June 6, 1912. Four hours after the eruption
began the ash had reached Kodiak Island 100 miles to the southeast. Ash clouds stretched
thousands of miles across the skies of southern Alaska and western Canada. The
ash clouds reached Algeria in Africa by June 17th.
Expedition to investigate the eruption
In
1916 a National Geographic expedition led by Robert Griggs investigated the
eruption. They believed that Katmai volcano was the source of the eruption
because a 2-miles crater had formed at the summit of Katmai. The magma had drained
from Katmai and was erupted by Novarupta a new volcano. It was not until the 1950s
that the source of the eruption was credited to Novarupta and not Katmai.
Mount Pinatubo eruption
Second largest eruption
The
eruption of Mount Pinatubo that was the second largest
eruption of the 20th century on the Ring of Fire. The eruption began June 15, 1991 on
Luzon Island in the Philippines. The eruption began during a hurricane.
Pyroclastic flows
Pyroclastic
flows filled with hot ash and gases traveled down the sides of mountain
destroying everything in their path. Giant mudflows (lahars) carried ash and
other debris to the valleys below. A giant volcanic ash cloud hundreds of miles
across filled the skies.
June 15th, a day before the eruption
The day before
the June 15 eruption over 60,000 people evacuated the area. They moved to
safety because they were shown movies about the destructive force of
pyroclastic flows, lahars, and other volcanic dangers.
Five thousand lives saved
It is estimated that
5,000 lives were saved by the evacuation the day before the eruption. The people
who died during the eruption were people who refused to leave their homes.
The Ring of Fire is home to 452 volcanoes and 90% of the earthquakes occur on the Ring of Fire. Chapters in our book include information about deadly pyroclastic flows and lahars caused by volcanoes in and around the Pacific Ocean . Myrna
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1960 Chile Earthquake and tsunami
Largest recorded earthquake on the Ring of Fire
A
9.5 magnitude earthquake struck Chile on May 22, 1960. It was the largest earthquake
ever recorded on the Ring of Fire. The earthquake occurred in a subduction zone off the coast of
Chile. The earthquakes and tsunamis that struck the coast of Chile left 2
million people homeless, 3000 people injured and approximately 1,655 people dead.
Warning six hours before tsunami waves strike
Tsunami
waves traveled across the Pacific Ocean striking Hilo, Hawaii. People were
warned to seek high ground 6 hours before the tsunami struck. Many people ignored
the warning and went down to see the tsunamis. A 35-foot wave came ashore within
1 minute of the predicted arrival time of the first wave. Sixty-one people were
killed by the tsunami that had not moved to higher ground.
Tsunami waves strike Japan
The
tsunami reached the Japanese island of Honshu 22 hours after the earthquake
began. The waves that came ashore were only 18 feet high. The waves destroyed
1,600 homes and 138 people were killed.
1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami
The great Alaska earthquake
The Great Alaskan
earthquake occurred on March 27, 1964
in the late afternoon. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded in North
America on the Ring of Fire.
The earthquake originated in the Prince William Sound. Subsidence and uplift affected the land from the Prince William Sound to Kodiak Island. The Pacific Plate moved underneath the North American Plate an average of 9 m during the earthquake.
People saved because it was Good Friday
The
earthquake occurred in the afternoon on Good Friday. Shops and schools were
closed for the day and most of the people were at home. Only 16 were killed by the earthquake. The
remaining 115 people who died were killed by tsunamis.
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