Since there are seven main tectonic plates on Earth, it isn’t stunning that some nations lie squarely atop the intersection of a number of plates. Relying on the sorts of faults between the plates, there is perhaps little to huge tectonic exercise on the floor.
However do all of the nations on fault traces expertise extra earthquakes than these squarely centered on a single plate? They overwhelmingly do, and essentially the most energetic earthquake areas on the earth are on the intersection of varied tectonic plates. The countries where earthquakes are largely unheard of occur to lie farther from tectonic plate assembly factors. Here is what we all know in regards to the nations that lie atop tectonic borders, and the way it impacts their earthquake threat.
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6 Italy
Italy lies on the boundary of 5 tectonic plates
Italy is usually neglected as a seismically energetic nation, but it surely seems there are millions of earthquakes in Italy every year. That’s largely resulting from the truth that Italy lies on the convergence of the African, Eurasian, Adriatic, Aegean Sea, and Anatolian Plates. The advanced convergence of the Eurasian and African Plates, particularly, is the place a number of seismic exercise occurs. Nonetheless, the Adriatic Micro-Plate mimics the form of Italy, and its western aspect is the place many earthquakes seem to happen.
- Earthquakes per yr: 16,000
- Major earthquake location: Central-southern Italy, close to Sicily
5 United States
Most US earthquakes occur alongside plate borders
San Andreas Fault illustration
The United States is one country that is highly susceptible to earthquakes, and one main issue is the collision of tectonic plates alongside the West Coast. Most earthquakes within the US occur on the West Coast, in Alaska, and in Hawaii. Subsequently, the US undoubtedly experiences extra earthquakes than different nations due to the Pacific Plate rubbing up in opposition to the North American Plate (a strike-slip fault) and the Juan de Fuca Plate subducting underneath the North American plate. Some earthquakes do happen extra inland, within the western mountain vary and across the Nice Lakes, nonetheless.
- Earthquakes per yr: 12,000+
- Major earthquake location: West Coast
Hawaii’s earthquakes are usually resulting from volcanic exercise, not tectonic plate motion.
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4 Philippines
The Philippines lies on the Ring of Fireplace and amid a tectonic plate convergence
Philippine earthquake map with tectonic plate boundaries
The Philippines experiences 1000’s of earthquakes every year, and lots of of them are as a result of nation’s location on the converging level of a number of tectonic plates. The Philippines lies atop the convergence zone of the Eurasian, Philippine Sea, and Indo-Australian Plates — and it additionally has one of many longest coastlines in the world as an island nation. The whole space is named the Philippine Cellular Belt, and it is essentially the most energetic space for earthquake exercise.
- Earthquakes per yr: 12,000+
- Major earthquake location: Close to Manila, Davau, and Cebu; nonetheless, earthquakes can occur nearly anyplace
Palawan is alleged to be the most secure place within the Philippines the place earthquakes hardly ever occur.
3 New Zealand
New Zealand has two main faults with tons of earthquakes
Zealandia tectonic plates
New Zealand is one other nation with earthquakes largely attributable to tectonic plate exercise. The Pacific and Australian Plates grate in opposition to each other and transfer about 50 mm per yr. The Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the Australian Plate, creating between 100 and 150 noticeable earthquakes every year; 1000’s extra occur that people do not discover.
- Earthquakes per yr: 20,000+
- Major earthquake location: Alongside the Alpine fault and the Kermadic Trench
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2 Iceland
Iceland is cut up down the center on two separate plates
Seismic exercise on Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
Iceland lies nearly equally on two tectonic plates: the North American Plate and Eurasian Plate. Nonetheless, Iceland additionally has some complicating elements as a result of its earthquakes are sometimes attributable to volcanic exercise. Iceland has many several types of faults, however the major one is a rework fault, the place two plates slide throughout each other.
- Earthquakes per yr: 26,000
- Major earthquake location: Remodel faults within the South Iceland Seismic zone, a volcanic rift zone; earthquakes in Iceland are prompted each by plate exercise and volcanoes, which are not at all times associated.
1 Turkey
Turkey has an enormous fault working by way of it
Earthquake map for Turkey 1900 to 2023
Like California’s San Andreas Fault, Turkey additionally has a fault working by way of it; the North and East Anatolian Fault Zones expertise tons of seismic exercise. Turkey principally lies on the Anatolian Plate, however the Anatolian Fault Zones are two strike-slip relationships. The Eurasian, Aegean, African, and Arabian Plates additionally come into play, inflicting harmful earthquakes all through the nation.
- Earthquakes per yr: 74,000
- Major earthquake location: On the map of Turkey’s earthquakes, most are clustered within the southwestern half the place the Anatolian and African Plates collide. Nonetheless, you too can hint a line alongside the opposite plate boundaries on the earthquake map.
Regardless of its excessive variety of earthquakes, Turkey is still widely visited with countless archeological discoveries occurring on a regular basis. It’d simply be value a go to!
References: Time Journal, Temblor, GNS Science, Earth Science StackExchange, The Geological Society, Michigan Technical College, Brittanica
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