Major 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits Pacific Ocean

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale struck the Pacific Ocean on Sunday afternoon. According to the National Seismological Centre , the tremor occurred at 2:58 PM IST at a depth of 130 kilometers beneath the southern Pacific Ocean. Details of any casualties or property damage are not yet available.

Around 81% of the world’s most powerful earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ocean rim, an area known to scientists as the Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt , which has earned the nickname ‘Ring of Fire’ due to its high seismic activity. Stretching approximately 40,000 kilometers in length and 500 kilometers in width, this belt encircles the Pacific Ocean.

Earthquakes in this region are triggered by the subduction of tectonic plates , where one plate slides beneath another. Collisions or fractures in the oceanic crust release massive energy, resulting in intense tremors. Notable past events in this belt include the 1960 Chile earthquake (magnitude 9.5) and the 1964 Alaska earthquake (magnitude 9.2).

Globally, roughly 500,000 earthquakes are detected each year, though only about 100,000 are strong enough to be felt by humans. Of these, only around 100 cause significant damage. The fact that 90% of global earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire underscores the region’s seismic intensity.

The Pacific Ring of Fire has evolved over tens of millions of years. Movements in South and North America and parts of Asia began approximately 115 million years ago, extending to Indonesia and New Guinea around 70 million years ago. Subduction zones forming in New Zealand around 35 million years ago shaped the region’s current configuration, according to geologists.