Ten people died and more than 1,000 were injured in Taiwan after the island was hit by its biggest earthquake in at least 25 years on April 4.
- As per the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was 7.4 magnitude.
- The epicentre of the quake was located just 18 kilometres south-southwest of Hualien County.
- Taiwan experiences earthquakes due to the interactions of two tectonic plates — the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
Ring of Fire
- Taiwan is prone to earthquakes as it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where 90% of the world’s earthquakes take place.
- The Ring of Fire is essentially a string of hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake-sites which runs along the Pacific Ocean.
- It is a semicircle or horse shoe in shape and stretches nearly 40,250 kilometres.
- The Ring of Fire traces the meeting points of numerous tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, Philippine, and other smaller plates, which all encircle the large Pacific Plate.
- It runs through 15 more countries including the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Chile, Peru, and the Philippines.
- The Ring of Fire witnesses so many earthquakes due to constant sliding past, colliding into, or moving above or below each other of the tectonic plates.
- The existence of volcanoes in the Ring of Fire is also due to the movement of tectonic plates. Many of the volcanoes have been formed through a process known as subduction.
- It takes place when two plates collide with each other and the heavier plate is shoved under another, creating a deep trench.
