The Pacific Ring of Fire is the result of Plate Tectonics. Specifically, it is a string of subduction zones where oceanic plates are sliding beneath continental plates. This process melts the crust, creating a “ring” of intense volcanic activity stretching from New Zealand, through Japan, across Alaska and down the western coasts of North and South America. This belt is the most geologically violent area on Earth, responsible for catastrophic events like the 2011 Japan tsunami. It is the primary location for studying the recycling of the Earth’s crust.