The Pacific Ring of Fire coincides almost exactly with the boundaries of the Pacific Plate. This horseshoe-shaped zone is dominated by subduction zones where the Pacific Plate interacts with surrounding plates like the North American, Eurasian and Indo-Australian plates. This tectonic interaction results in approximately 90% of the world’s earthquakes and most of its active explosive volcanoes. ANSWER: (C) Pacific Plate
The ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ coincides with the borders of which plate? (A) African Plate (B) Eurasian Plate (C) Pacific Plate (D) Indo-Australian Plate
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The “Ring of Fire” is a direct geographical manifestation of the Pacific Plate’s tectonic boundaries. Most of the perimeter consists of subduction zones where the oceanic Pacific Plate is being pushed under continental plates. This collision creates deep ocean trenches and parallel volcanic mountain arcs. The friction and melting of the subducting plate fuel the continuous volcanic activity found from the Andes to Alaska and down through Japan and the Philippines. This belt is the most seismically and volcanically active area on the planet, defining the geography of the Pacific Basin and its surrounding continents.