Pacific Rim of Fire

This is a diagram shows evidence for seafloor spreading. Click on image for full size version (40K GIF) Image from: NOAA/NESDIS/National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, CO

The diagram shows a remarkable fact about the surface of the Earth. Around the rim of the Pacific Ocean are many volcanoes. The rim of the Pacific Ocean also is the scene of much earthquake activity.

These volcanoes are most typically found in the regions where subduction is taking place.

The ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean is called the "Pacific Rim of Fire".

The diagram shown here also shows (in yellow) the boundaries of many of the Earth's surface plates.