Geoscience, also known as Earth Science, is the umbrella term used when referring to the studies related to the planet Earth. Scientists in this field of study would usually use the disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, chronology, and mathematics to build qualitative conclusions about the Earth. Scientists would use this field of study in order to understand and explain the natural disasters occurring around the world. This is most especially useful to the Pacific Ring of Fire, the region in the Earth most prone to natural disasters such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornadoes, and earthquakes. About 80% of the world’s largest earthquakes occur in the ring of fire.
The Pacific Ring of Fire, sometimes referred to as the circum-Pacific Belt, is comprised of a lot of tectonic plates under the sea. These tectonic plates tend to move a lot which causes drastic changes in land portions above the sea. The movements and collisions in the tectonic plates directly result to the tsunamis or volcanic eruptions. The Pacific Ring of Fire includes a lot of small islands which stretches from New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Indonesia, the northern Philippines, Japan, Alaska, western Americas, South Americas.
Some of the most disastrous natural events in this region have taken place in New Zealand, Japan, and the Philippines. Much of New Zealand’s North Island is composed of seamounts and small islands, including 16 submarine volcanoes. Minor eruptions are frequent here with at least 60 eruptions recorded since 1945. The Auckland volcanic field has produced a varied range of explosive craters and lava flows. The February 2011 Christchurch volcanic eruption had a 6.3 magnitude earthquake and caused a lot of damage and fatality.
Ten percent of the world’s active volcanoes are situated in Japan. There are about 1,500 earthquakes recorded yearly in this country with magnitudes ranging from four to six on the Richter scale. The major earthquakes here in the 20th century were: the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 wherein 130,000 people died, the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 in which almost 5,000 people died, and of course, the most recent magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan which caused a devastating tsunami, killing about 11,000 people.
In the Philippines, the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption is the world’s second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century. Mount Pinatubo is the Philippines’ most active volcano. After the explosion, surrounding areas were destroyed by ash deposits and lahars caused by rainwater moving earlier volcanic deposits. Because the explosion was so powerful, the ashes were carried to even different parts of the world as far as the Americas.
These natural disasters are really inevitable. They have been taking place in the Earth even before humans roamed around the planet. However, thanks to different fields of studies such as geoscience, scientists can somehow predict if, for instance, volcanic eruptions are looming. This is truly beneficial especially for the people living in the area of the Pacific Ring of Fire to help them understand these natural phenomena better and prepare them in case a crisis strikes.
