Earthquakes mainly happen along the boundaries of tectonic plates, where the Earth's plates meet and interact. These areas include fault lines and plate margins where plates move towards, away from, or slide past each other. The majority of the world's earthquakes concentrate in narrow bands along these plate boundaries. Notably, a large portion of earthquakes occurs around the Pacific Ocean basin known as the "Ring of Fire," which is a horseshoe-shaped zone marked by frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Other significant regions include the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and several major fault lines like the San Andreas Fault in the United States. Additionally, earthquakes tend to occur in countries located on or near active plate boundaries such as Japan, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Iran, Turkey, Peru, and the United States. These areas are prone to stronger and more frequent earthquakes due to their geological settings. Earthquakes can also occur within the interior of tectonic plates but are generally less powerful there. In summary, earthquakes happen most commonly:
- Along tectonic plate boundaries (convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries)
- In regions such as the Pacific Ring of Fire
- Near major fault lines worldwide
- Sometimes within tectonic plates due to crustal stresses
This distribution explains why earthquakes are not random but focused in distinct geological zones.
