KBC 14: The ‘Ring of Fire’ is found along the margins of which of the following oceans?
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Answer: Pacific Ocean
The Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean is also called the Circum-Pacific Belt. It is characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. The Ring of Fire extends for approximately 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles).
It traces the boundaries between Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.
Over 450 volcanoes, making up 75% of the earth’s total, are located along the Ring of Fire. Moreover, 90% of the planet’s earthquakes occur in this region. This includes some of the most dramatic and violent seismic events.
Due to the movement of tectonic plates in the area, there’s an abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes.
Plate tectonics is a scientific study of how major landforms are created due to the earth’s subterranean movements. Plates overlap at subduction zones, which are convergent boundaries along the Ring of Fire. Here, the plate that is underneath is pushed down or subducted by the plate above. When the rock is subducted, it melts and becomes magma.
Since the magma is this close to the earth’s surface, volcanic activities take place frequently in this area. The border between the Pacific and North American Plates is a significant exception. This region is a transform boundary where plates move sideways past one another. However, they tend to give rise to a lot of earthquakes, as tension builds up in the earth’s crust before it is released.
KBC 14: Who was appointed as the next High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India in July 2022?
