[News Terms] The Earthquake That Struck Japan, Spotlight on the 'Ring of Fire'

The earthquake (magnitude 7.6) that occurred on the 1st in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, was the first strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or higher to occur in Japan since the 2018 Eastern Iburi Earthquake in Hokkaido. It is recorded as the most powerful earthquake in Japan since the Great East Japan Earthquake (magnitude 9.0) in March 2011. In particular, unlike previous earthquakes in Japan that occurred near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which follows the boundary of the Pacific and North American plates, this strong earthquake occurred for the first time in the western region of Ishikawa Prefecture, raising concerns that the influence of the Ring of Fire may be gradually expanding.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ring of Fire refers to a ring-shaped zone of earthquakes and volcanoes that stretches along the Pacific coastal regions, including New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The name "Ring of Fire" comes from the fact that when marking the frequent earthquake zones and active volcanoes in these countries, it forms a ring approximately 40,000 km long. The Ring of Fire is located at the boundary where tectonic plates such as the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate meet, resulting in frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes. Geologists explain that earthquakes and volcanic activity occur in this boundary region due to the Pacific Plate colliding with or subducting beneath other plates, causing friction. About 90% of the world's earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire. More than 75% of the world's active volcanoes are also concentrated here.

The strongest earthquake recorded within the Ring of Fire was the magnitude 9.5 earthquake that struck Valdivia, Chile, in 1960. This earthquake caused approximately 6,000 deaths and displaced over 2 million people. It also generated a tsunami that crossed the Pacific Ocean, causing damage as far as Japan, Hawaii, and New Zealand.

The Merapi volcano in West Sumatra, Indonesia, which erupted on December 3 last year. Indonesia is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, known as the circum-Pacific orogenic belt.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The largest volcanic eruption recorded in the Ring of Fire region was the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. This volcano produced a colossal eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 7. The enormous amount of volcanic ash covered the entire Indonesian archipelago, then rose into the stratosphere, blocking sunlight and causing numerous disasters. Following the Tambora eruption, Western Europe and the United States experienced 1816 as the "Year Without a Summer."