The Pacific Ring of Fire is a 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped zone around the Pacific Ocean where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur.
The Ring of Fire is a 40,000 kilometer (25,000 mile) horseshoe-shaped area around the Pacific Ocean where about 90% of the world's earthquakes and 75% of active volcanoes are located. It follows the boundaries of several major tectonic plates including the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Nazca, Philippine Sea, and Indo-Australian plates. Major subduction zones along the Ring of Fire have produced the largest earthquakes in recorded history, including the 1960 Valdivia earthquake (M9.5, the largest ever recorded), the 1964 Alaska earthquake (M9.2), and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (M9.1).