In which of the following belts do most of the world’s earthquakes (approximately 63%) occur?
Most of the world’s earthquakes (about 63–68%) occur in the Circum-Pacific belt, famously known as the “Ring of Fire.” This belt encircles the Pacific Ocean and is characterized by a continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs and plate boundaries, making it the most seismically active region on Earth. ANSWER: (C) Circum-Pacific belt
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The Ring of Fire is home to the world’s most dangerous subduction zones. Here, the Pacific Plate is constantly colliding with and sliding beneath surrounding plates like the Eurasian, North American and Philippine plates. This constant grinding and subduction build up massive amounts of elastic strain, leading to frequent and high-magnitude earthquakes. Countries along this belt, such as Japan, Chile, the Philippines and the western United States (Alaska and California), are at constant risk. This zone also contains about 75% of the world’s active volcanoes, illustrating the intense tectonic and magmatic activity that defines this “circum-Pacific” horseshoe-shaped region.