Ring+of+Fire

=Ring of Fire=

Your goal is to research the area above, known as the "Ring of Fire", and use your knowledge of plate tectonics to answer the following questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper. Some answers may require more than one sentence and make sure to include proper citations.
 * Where is the Ring of Fire?
 * Why is it called the Ring of Fire?
 * What does the Ring of Fire have to do with plate tectonics?
 * Draw a picture of the Ring of Fire. Draw arrows showing the directions the Pacific Plate is moving.
 * On the above picture label the types of plate boundaries and describe what is happening in California, Alaska, Japan, and New Zealand.
 * What events on the Earth's surface tend to occur in this region more frequently than in other regions of the Earth? Why do they occur here?
 * What do trenches and mountain ranges have to do with the Ring of Fire and plate tectonics?

Resources:

 * National Geographic: Forces of Nature—Ring of Fire
 * Overview of plate boundaries and movement around Ring of Fire
 * PBS: Savage Earth
 * USGS: Active Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics, "Hot Spots" and the "Ring of Fire"
 * USGS: Ring of Fire

Extension:
Research another plate boundary in another place in the world and complete the following.
 * 1) Identify where it is located
 * 2) Name the plates that are involved
 * 3) Identify what kind of plate boundary is located there
 * 4) Describe what feature is dominant there because the of the plate boundaries and how it was made by the plate movements.