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Volcanos, earthquakes: Is the 'Ring of Fire' alight?

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/01/26/albay-volcano-afp.jpg"/><figcaption>Lava flows from the crater of Mount Mayon volcano during a new eruption in Legazpi City, Albay. <em>Romeo Ranoco, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>TOKYO - A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what&#x27;s the link?</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/25/18/philippines-plans-forced-evacuations-around-erupting-volcano">Philippines plans forced evacuations around erupting volcano</a></li>	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/23/18/82-magnitude-quake-hits-off-alaska-usgs">8.2 magnitude quake hits off Alaska: USGS</a></li></ul><p>The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way. Here is what the experts say:</p><div><strong>WHERE ARE THESE HAPPENING?</strong></div><p>The recent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurred along a belt that runs around the Pacific Ocean and is known as the &quot;Ring of Fire.&quot;</p><p>Reaching from Indonesia to the coast of Chile in a 40,000 kilometer (25,000 mile) arc, the belt is home to most of the world&#x27;s active and dormant volcanos and is where the vast majority of earthquakes occur.</p><p>It is an interconnected circle of fault lines -- cracks in the Earth&#x27;s hardened upper crust -- which are under constant pressure from super-hot molten rock beneath.</p><p>Occasionally the fissures give in and explode, creating volcanic eruptions and causing the land on either side of the fault line to shift and buckle violently, triggering earthquakes.</p><div><strong>WHY ARE THEY HAPPENING?</strong></div><p>Earthquakes occur around the Ring of Fire on a daily basis, but the recent string of quakes and eruptions sparked talk of an uptick, with the UN&#x27;s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction tweeting that the Ring of Fire was &quot;active&quot;.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/01/23/usgs.jpg"/></figure></div><p>&quot;The Pacific rim is in a period of activity,&quot; acknowledged Toshiyasu Nagao, head of Tokai University&#x27;s Earthquake Prediction Research Centre.</p><p>&quot;In terms of volcanic history, however, the current activity is still regarded as normal,&quot; he told AFP.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s not referred to as the &#x27;ring of fire&#x27; because it sits there doing nothing... it is normal to have so much activity,&quot; tweeted volcanologist Janine Krippner.</p><div><strong>ARE THESE EVENTS LINKED?</strong></div><p>The recent spectacular eruptions and earthquakes have caused some speculation about a potential &quot;domino effect,&quot; but experts say that simply isn&#x27;t how the Ring of Fire works.</p><p>&quot;Volcanic activity at each volcano is not correlated,&quot; said Yosuki Aoki, assistant professor of physical volcanology at the University of Tokyo.</p><p>He said volcanos &quot;cycle through active and inactive periods, and this is part of it.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t think something abnormal is taking place.&quot;</p><p>&quot;This is pretty normal activity for Earth, the media is just reporting on more of them right now,&quot; Krippner added on her Twitter account.</p><div><strong>WILL THERE BE MORE?</strong></div><p>The Ring of Fire has produced the world&#x27;s strongest recorded earthquake and volcanic eruption, but experts say the recent activity does not necessarily presage a major natural disaster.</p><p>&quot;We cannot predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Earth science has not developed that far,&quot; said Shinji Toda, professor at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University.</p><p>&quot;Such predictions are often made routinely after major events. If you say that everyday for a long time, naturally you will get it right at some point.&quot;</p><p>Nagao said the volcanic activity seen in Japan could continue, but that the region was experiencing a relatively quiet period for earthquakes.</p><p>&quot;In terms of earthquakes, the region is not that active now.&quot;</p><p>&quot;There was an earthquake in Alaska the other day, but quakes with such strength have occurred regularly in the region.&quot;</p><div><strong>si-hih-sah/mtp</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what's the link?</p>

A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what's the link?