Circling the Pacific Basin, on the bottom of the sea bed, lie a dramatic series of volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches.

The zone - the 'Ring of Fire' - notorious for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, coincides with the edges of one of the world's main tectonic plates.

More than half of the world's active volcanoes above sea level are part of the ring.

Intense geological activity

In the past 25 years, scientists developed a theory called plate tectonics explaining the locations of volcanoes and other large-scale geologic features.

According to tectonic theory, the surface of the Earth is made up of a patchwork of massive rigid plates, about 80km thick, which float in slow motion on top of the Earth's hot, pliable interior.

See Full Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/newsid_136000/136248.stm

Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com