"There's one thing you don't know about the 'Ring of Fire.' It causes 90% of the world's earthquakes."
CNN
The powerful earthquake in Colombia has once again brought the so-called “Ring of Fire” into the spotlight, a vast belt of intense seismic and volcanic activity that encircles nearly the entire Pacific Ocean.
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“The location where today’s earthquake occurred is a specific area. Let’s say it’s a deep-seated zone that, if you look at the U.S. Geological Survey’s database, is an area with a high frequency of earthquakes.”
Rodrigo Alejandro – Seismologist, University of the Andes
The “Ring of Fire” is approximately 40,000 kilometers long and stretches from South America, North America and Alaska to Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Zealand.
Western Colombia, as well as part of Venezuela, lies atop a complex system of tectonic plates and is part of the Ring of Fire.
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“Now, this subduction system doesn’t just generate seismic activity at the surface. There are parts of the plate that extend much further in and much deeper. Today’s earthquake was unusual because it occurred at a depth of between 90 and 100 kilometers, but within the subducting plate.”
Rodrigo Alejandro
Earthquake Mitigation Measures
Experts in Colombia emphasize that the recent earthquakes serve as a wake-up call that should prompt cities to strengthen their earthquake preparedness.
READ ALSO: Shocking video: The dramatic rescue of a mother and her six-month-old infant from the rubble
They argue that South American countries, unlike some Asian countries—such as Japan, for example— have not adapted building design to reduce fatalities and building collapses.
For this reason, they are calling for building codes to be updated and older structures to be reinforced, particularly critical infrastructure such as hospitals and police stations.
Watch Giorgos Chrysanthos’s report:
