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DNA Special: Why earthquakes occur so frequently in Indonesia?

Due to recent earthquakes in Indonesia, more than 250 people have died and over 1,000 have injured.

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Indonesia has suffered two major earthquakes in the last four days. On November 18, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck Jakarta and two days later, another 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Java island. The two earthquakes have caused a huge loss of life and property in the island country. The pictures after the earthquake are scary. So far, 268 people have died due to these earthquakes and more than 1,000 people have been injured.  

According to the last 5 years' data, 8,000-9,000 earthquakes occur in Indonesia every year. Now, the question is why earthquakes occur so frequently in Indonesia.

Indonesia is surrounded by the 'Ring of Fire' which is a very active zone in terms of earthquakes. There are different plates on the Earth's crust which generate several earthquakes. Not only this, 75 percent of the world's volcanoes are also present around the 'Pacific Ring of Fire'. Due to this, 90 percent of the Earth's earthquakes occur in this region.

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Now the question is, what is the 'Pacific Ring of Fire' and what is its connection with the earthquake? The 'Pacific Ring of Fire' actually falls in the Pacific Ocean. Hundreds of active volcanoes are present here due to which earthquakes occur frequently in these areas. Its total length is 40 thousand kilometers. Different tectonic plates are found in this area due to the vibrations generated by these, earthquakes occur.

These earthquakes are also a matter of concern for India as in the coastal states of India, there is a possibility of a tsunami from these earthquakes.

According to data, more than 20,000 earthquakes occur every year around the world. But their intensity is not so high. According to National Earthquake Information Center, out of 20,000 earthquakes, only 100 are strong earthquakes that can cause damage.

The longest earthquake in terms of duration occurred in 2004 in the Indian Ocean. This earthquake was felt for about 10 minutes and was followed by a tsunami.

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