The Ring of Fire: Earth’s Hotspot for Volcanoes and Earthquakes

#nature #places #volcano At 24,900 miles, if the array of volcanoes known as the Ring of Fire were stretched out straight, it would encircle the Earth. Instead it spans from New Zealand, around to Malaysia and Indonesia, up through the Philippines to mainland Asia and from there to Japan. Then, further up to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Eastern Russia, across the [All-oo-shun] Aleutian Islands to Alaska, then down the Western Coasts of North and South America, ending in Argentina/Chile. It’s more like the Horseshoe of Fire, with the two tips of the horseshoe situated about 5,800 miles apart. This is fitting for how it has served as the cavalry bringing the inferno of Hell onto the Earth. So, let’s go on a ride around this geographic marvel. Along our tour, we’ll be moving through time and space. We’ll see the origin of this titanic terrain of tectonic tumult through to the underappreciated ways it has shaped modern civilization. We’ll make stops to study particularly notable volcanoes, and thei