Barren Island from Volcanoes and earthquakes.

Volcanoes and earthquakes. Barren Island. This is a hot topic! A 24,900 mile belt of volcanoes called The Ring of Fire roughly traces the border of the Pacific Ocean. The region is also host to many earthquakes as well. But what causes so many volcanoes to occur in this strange pattern? Most of the volcanoes in the world are found along the edges of tectonic plates, both on the ground and in the ocean. On land, the movement of one tectonic plate beneath the other can cause a volcano. Water trapped in the rocks in this plate gets squeezed out. This causes some of the rocks to melt. The melted rock, or magma, is lighter than the surrounding rock and rises up. This magma collects in magma chambers, but it is still miles below the surface. When enough magma builds up in the magma chamber, it forces its way up to the surface and erupts, often causing volcanic eruptions.