Seismic belts of the Earth are zones where the lithospheric plates that make up our planet come into contact with each other. The main characteristic of such areas is increased mobility, which can be expressed in frequent earthquakes, as well as the presence of active volcanoes, which tend to erupt from time to time. As a rule, such regions of the Earth stretch for thousands of miles in length. Throughout this distance, a large fault in the earth's crust can be traced. If such a ridge is at the bottom of the ocean, it looks like a mid-ocean trench.
Modern names of the Earth's seismic belts
According to generally accepted geographical theory, there are now two major seismic belts on the planet. They include one latitudinal, that is, located along the equator, and the second is the meridian, respectively, perpendicular to the previous one. The first is called the Mediterranean-Trans-Asian and it originates approximately in the Persian Gulf, and the extremepoint reaches the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The second is called the meridional Pacific, and it passes in full accordance with its name. It is in these areas that the greatest seismic activity is observed. Mountain formations, as well as constantly active volcanoes, have their place here. If these seismic belts of the Earth are viewed on a world map, it becomes clear that most of the eruptions occur precisely in the underwater part of our planet.
The biggest ridge in the world
It is important to know that 80 percent of all earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the Pacific mountain range. Most of it is located under s alt water, but it also affects some parts of the land. For example, in the Hawaiian Islands, precisely because of the splitting of the earth's rock, earthquakes constantly occur, which often lead to a large number of human casu alties. Further, this giant ridge includes smaller seismic belts of the Earth. So, it includes Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands. It affects the western coast of the entire American continent and ends as far as the South Antilles Loop. That is why all residential regions that are located along this line are constantly experiencing more or less strong earth tremors. Among the most popular giant cities located in this unstable area is Los Angeles.
Seismic belts of the earth. Names of less common ones
Now consider the zones of the so-called secondary earthquakes, or secondary seismicity. All of them are quite densely located within our planet, but in some places the echoes are not audible at all, while in other regions the tremors reach almost a maximum. But it is worth noting that this situation is inherent only in those lands that are under the waters of the oceans. The secondary seismic belts of the Earth are concentrated in the waters of the Atlantic, in the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Arctic and in some areas of the Indian Ocean. Interestingly, strong shocks, as a rule, fall precisely on the eastern part of all earthly waters, that is, the "Earth breathes" in the Philippines, gradually descending lower to Antarctica. To some extent, the centers of these strikes also extend to the waters of the Pacific Ocean, but in the Atlantic it is almost always calm.
A closer look at this issue
As mentioned above, the seismic belts of the Earth are formed precisely at the junctions of the largest lithospheric plates. The largest of these is the meridian Pacific Range, along the entire length of which there are a huge number of mountain elevations. As a rule, the focus of impacts that causes shocks in this natural zone is subcrustal, so they spread over very long distances. The most seismically active branch of the meridian ridge is its northern part. Extremely high impacts are observed here, which often reach the California coast. It is for thisFor this reason, the number of skyscrapers that are being built in a given area is always kept to a minimum. Please note that cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, in general, are one-story. High-rise buildings were erected only in the city center. Heading lower, to the south, the seismicity of this branch decreases. On the western coast of South America, the shocks are no longer as strong as in the North, but subcrustal foci are still noted there.
Many branches of one big ridge
The names of the Earth's seismic belts, which are offshoots from the main meridian Pacific Ridge, are directly related to their geographical location. One of the branches is Eastern. It originates off the coast of Kamchatka, runs along the Aleutian Islands, then goes around the entire American continent and ends in the Falkland Islands. This zone is not catastrophically seismic, and the shocks that form within it are small. It is only worth noting that in the equator region, a branch to the East leaves from it. The Caribbean Sea and all the island states that are located here are already in the zone of the Antilles seismic loop. In this region, many earthquakes were previously observed, which brought many disasters, but today the Earth has “calmed down”, and the tremors that are heard and felt in all the resorts of the Caribbean Sea do not pose any danger to life.
A little geographic paradox
If we consider the seismic belts of the Earth on the map, it turns out thatthe eastern branch of the Pacific Ridge runs along the westernmost coast of the land of our planet, that is, along America. The western branch of the same seismic belt begins at the Kuril Islands, passes through Japan, and then divides into two others. It is strange that the names of these seismic zones were chosen exactly the opposite. By the way, those two branches into which this strip is divided also have the names "Western" and Eastern, but this time their geographical affiliation coincides with generally accepted rules. The eastern one goes through New Guinea to New Zealand. Quite strong tremors, often of a destructive nature, can be traced in this area. The eastern branch covers the coast of the Philippine Islands, the southern islands of Thailand, as well as Burma, and finally connects to the Mediterranean-Trans-Asian belt.
A brief overview of the "parallel" seismic ridge
Now let's consider that lithospheric region, which is located closer to our region. As you already understood, the name of the seismic belts of our planet depends on their location, and in this case, the Mediterranean-Trans-Asian ridge is a confirmation of this. Within its length are the Alps, the Carpathians, the Apennines and the islands located in the Mediterranean Sea. The greatest seismic activity falls on the Romanian node, where strong tremors are quite often observed. Moving to the East, this belt captures the lands of Balochistan, Iran and ends in Burma. However, the overall percentage of seismicactivity, which falls on this area, is only 15. Therefore, this region is quite safe and calm.
