Pacific Ocean Subduction Zones

The Pacific Ocean basin and surrounding “Ring of Fire” subduction zones, where the tectonic plates collide, creating volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and mountainous landslide-prone terrain. Subduction zones are shown by high densities of earthquakes and volcanoes. Subduction zones within the United States and its territories are shaded red. Other types of plate boundaries are shown with thin red lines. Colors reflect topography and bathymetry; darker blues and purple offshore are deeper water, while brown and orange are mountain ranges. Map simplified from Simkin and others (2006).