VOLCANIC BELTS

The Circum-Pacific Belt or Pacific Ring of Fire

- bounded by the Andes of South America, Central America, Mexico, the Cascade Mountains of western
United States, the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, the Kuri Isles, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Celebes,
Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and New Zealand

- roughly 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes and seismically active sites that outline the Pacific Ocean

- lies along the rim of the Pacific Ocean

- high volcanic cones, volcanic mountains, and volcanic islands are also found in this belt

- about 1,500 volcanoes

- countless on the ocean floor

- 75% of planet’s volcanoes

- 90% of earthquakes

1. Mount Cotopaxi- Located in Ecuador, is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world.
2. Mount Fujiyama- The highest peak in Japan, is an active volcano. It is known for its beautifully
proportioned cones and snow-covered peaks.
3. Mount Shasta- The fifth highest peak in California, consists of four overlapping cones.
4. Mount Rainier- Found in Washington, is considered as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in
the world. The large amount of glacial ice that covers it could turn into a large volume of lahar,
which can be a threat to nearby places.
5. Mount Hood- The highest mountain in Oregon; it is said to be inactive but volcanologists
describe it as a potentially active volcano
6. Mount Novarupta- Found in Alaska; erupted on June 6-8, 1912, filling with ash and volcanic
deposits the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a valley within Katmai National Park.
7. Tinakula Volcano- The most active volcano in the Solomon Islands
8. Mount Krakatoa- Found in Indonesia; erupted in August,1883; it was a major disaster. Its
eruption generated a tsunami such that two-thirds of the island was blown apart.
9. Manam Volcano- The most active volcano in Papua New Guinea
10. Taupo Volcanic Zone- Located in New Zealand; has three active volcanic cones. It is also the
world’s most frequently active supervolcano system.
11. Mount St. Helens- Located in Washington, U.S.A.; March 27, 1980 eruption was considered the
most destructive in the history of the United States
12. Kilauea- A volcano found in Hawaii; the youngest and most active shield volcano, located on the
southern part of the Big Island in Hawaii
13. Mount Taal- Batangas, Philippines; the second most active volcano in the country.
14. Mount Pinatubo- Zambales, Philippines; the world’s largest volcanic eruption to happen in the
past 100 years was its eruption in June 15, 1991
 15. Mount Mayon- Albay, Bicol, Philippines; known for its perfect cone
16. Mount Mandalagan- A potentially active volcano in Negros Occidental, Philippines

The Alpide Belt or Mid-Continental Belt

- Consists of the Alpine Mountain Chains, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea

1. Mount Ararat- A snow capped inactive volcano in Turkey

2. Mount Damavand- An inactive volcano in Iran; noted for its hot springs
3. Mount Hindu Kush- Considered as the subrange of the Himalayas, consists of a few young
volcanoes in Afghanistan
4. Stromboli Volcano- Found in Sicily, Italy; known for its frequent eruptions in the past 2,000
years.
5. Mount Etna- Sicily, Italy; the tallest active volcano in Europe.
6. Mount Vesuvius- Italy; best remembered for its eruption in AD 79 which buried the cities of
Pompeii and Herculaneum
7. Mount Kilimanjaro- An extinct volcano in Northern Tanzania; one of the largest volcanoes in the
world
8. Mount Elgon- An extinct volcano in the Uganda-Kenya border; the oldest and largest solitary
volcanic mountain in east Africa
9. Virunga Mountains- Consist of a range of eight major volcanoes (mostly dormant) found in
Central East Africa
10. Mount Rungwe- An active volcano in the southern highlands of Tanzania

The Mid-Atlantic Belt

- Includes volcanoes along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

- They are located on a long, raised strip of the Atlantic Ocean floor.

- Submarine volcanoes, whose eruptions are of the fissure type, are common in this belt.

LESSER ANTILLES VOLCANIC ARC

- Forms the eastern boundary of the Caribbean plate. It has 17 active volcanoes

- one is a submarine volcano named Kick ‘em Jenny. Its first recorded eruption (1939) generated a
series of tsunamis around 2 meters high

- The Azores, a volcanic archipelago in Portugal, is composed of nine volcanic islands in the north
Atlantic

- Formed by the subduction of old Atlantic crust under the Caribbean plate
 Earthquakes in the Circum-Pacific Belt

Most of the largest earthquakes occur around the coast of the Pacific Ocean, Earthquakes
originate mostly beneath the ocean floor; the intense and widespread ounces occur near the coast.

The belt extends from Chile, northward along the South American Coast, through Central
America, Mexico, the West Coast of the United States and the southern part of Alaska through the
Aleutian Islands, to Japan, the Philippines, PapuaNew Guinea, the island group of southwest Pacific,
and to New Zealand.

Earthquakes in Alpide Belt

The Alpide belt extends along the Alpine mountain range of Europe, North Africa, through Asia
Minor, Caucasia, Ira, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Himalayan mountain range. This belt also includes
Tibet, the Pamirs, and the mountains of Tian Shan. The mountains of Myanmar, China, and eastern
Siberia are also found in this belt.

The belt records earthquakes that are swallowed - 70 to 300 km from the earth’s surface. They
are mostly intermediate in origin.

Earthquakes in the Alpide Belt

This earthquake belt runs along the mid-ocean ridges in the Atlantic. It is a long underwater
mountain chain that extends from the Arctic Ocean toward and close to the southern tip of South Africa.
The intensity of most of the earthquakes here is moderate.

METEOROLOGY CONNECTION

- Volcanic eruptions can affect global climate. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 lifted the
greatest amount of ash and sulfur compounds into the upper atmosphere, resulting in cooler
global climate. However, volcanic eruptions can also lead to global warming. Since large reserves
of carbon are stored in the earth’s mantle, great amounts of carbon dioxide may be released into
the earth’s atmosphere during an eruption. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that can prevent
the escape of heat from the lower atmosphere.

Earthquake and Intensity and Magnitude

- Earthquake intensity is the effect of an earthquake and how it is felt by the people. It is different
from its magnitude since magnitude determines the amount of energy released by an
earthquake. Intensity describes the effects of an earthquake on the Earth’s surface.
- The Modified Mercalli scale is used to describe the intensity of an earthquake. The system was
found to be unreliable since it has no way of determining the real strength of the earthquake. It
only relies on reports of people who experienced the earthquake including the damage done to
 the structure and its natural environment. But the damage done to the structure and its natural
environment. But the damage done may not only be the effect of the ground shaking. It may also
be affected by its distance from the epicenter, the nature of rocks and soil beneath the structure,
and the quality of construction.

Intensity Shaking Description/Damage

I Not felt Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions.

II Weak Felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings.

III Weak Felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of
buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing
motor cars may rock slightly. Vibrations similar to the passing of a truck.
Duration estimated.

IV Light Felt indoors by many, outdoors by few during the day. At night, some
awakened. Diesh, windows, doors disturbed; walls make cracking sounds.
Sensation like a heavy truck striking building. Standing moor cars rocked
noticeably.

V Moderate Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Some dishes, windows broken.
Unstable objects overturned. Pendulum clocks may stop.

VI Strong Felt by all, many frightened. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances
of fallen plaster. Damage is slight.

VII Very Strong Damage negligible in buildings of good designs and construction; slight to
moderate in well-built ordinary structures; considerable damage in poorly
built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken.

VIII Severe Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable damage in

ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse. Damage is great in
poorly built structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns,
monuments, walls. heavy furniture overturned.

IX Violent Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame

structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with
partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations.

X Extreme Some well-built wooden structures were destroyed; most masonry and
frame structures were destroyed with foundation. Rails bent.
Determining Earthquake Magnitude

- The vibrations of an earthquake are observed and recorded using a seismograph. Its printed
record of information about an earthquake is called the seismogram. The height of the waves on
a seismogram indicates the amount of ground shaking. Ground shaking is used to calculate the
magnitude of the amount of energy released by an earthquake. The higher the magnitude, the
stronger the earthquake. Magnitude is measured based on the amount of shaking a seismograph
has recorded during an earthquake.
- A seismograph is made of a weight that is suspended from a wire that is attached to a support,
which is anchored to the ground. A pen is attached to the weight. At the ground shakes, the pen
traces a jagged line on the paper attached to a rotating drum. The printed record on the paper is
the seismogram. The distance the pen moves from stationary position is called the amplitude.
The farther the pen moes, the higher the amplitude of shaking. Seismologists make use of the
Arichter Scale of the Moment Magnitude scale in expressing the magnitude of an earthquake.

Earthquake Magnitude CSale

1.0 - MICRO

2.0-3.0 - MINOR

4.0 - LIGHT

5.0 - MODERATE

6.0 - STRONG

7.0 - MAJOR

8.0-10.0 - GREAT