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Story: Volcanoes

The Pacific Ring of Fire

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The Pacific Ring of Fire

It has long been known that there is a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean – the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is now recognised that these volcanoes are caused by subduction around the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: National Geophysical Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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How to cite this page

Richard Smith, David J. Lowe and Ian Wright, Volcanoes – Pacific Ring of Fire, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/8692/the-pacific-ring-of-fire (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Richard Smith, David J. Lowe and Ian Wright, published 2 March 2009.