Tag: tectonic plates

Indonesia: the world’s volcanic hotspot

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia, where more than 40,000 people have been evacuated over fears of an imminent volcanic eruption at Mount Agung on Bali, is the world’s most volcanic area. The Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and islets — and nearly 130 active volcanoes — is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a vast zone of geological instability where the collision of tectonic plates causes frequent quakes and major volcanic […]

6.8-magnitude quake hits Guatemala, second in eight days: USGS

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) — A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Guatemala’s coast Thursday, injuring four people and damaging homes and roads, officials said, just eight days after another strong tremor killed five people in the Central American country. The quake struck at 6:31 am (1231 GMT) with its epicenter in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 46.8 kilometers, about 23 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of Puerto San Jose, the United States Geological Survey […]