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Seismic zone

Geographic zones of interest in seismology

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Quake epicenters.
NASA, DTAM project team · Public domain

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Lab · Class 6–11The Restless EarthLab · Class 7–11Disaster Management

The major seismic zones

A type of seismic zone is a Wadati–Benioff zone which corresponds with the down-going slab in a subduction zone. The world's greatest seismic belt, known as the Circum-Pacific seismic belt, is where a majority of the Earth's quakes occur. Approximately 81% of major earthquakes occur along this belt. The Circum-Pacific seismic belt has earned its own nickname and is often referred to as the Ring of Fire, a ring-like formation that encompasses a majority of the Pacific Ocean. The notorious San Andreas Fault, responsible for many major quakes in the West Coast of the United States, lies within the Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt or Ring of Fire.

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