Ring of Fire - Volcanoes and Tectonic Plates Quiz

Answer: Lassen Peak

Lassen Peak lies in Northern California and is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. Mount Hood and Crater Lake both lie in Oregon, and Mount Saint Helens is in Washington. Lassen Peak and Mount Saint Helens are the only two active volcanoes to have erupted in the contiguous United States in the 20th century. Between 1914 and 1917 the Lassen Peak volcano was extremely active with its biggest eruption coming on May 22, 1915. The eruption devastated nearby areas and distributed ash 200 to 300 miles east of the volcano. The Lassen Volcanic National Park was created to preserve this devastation for future generations and future study.

This question was provided by pusdoc.

Answer: The Andes

The Earth's crust moves and, occasionally, sections collide. When they do, one of these may be forced down into deeper (hotter) regions. When the lower plate reaches a depth that is too hot it will start to melt. This process is called subduction. In the case of The Andes, it was the Nazca and Antarctic plates subducting beneath the South American plate. Once the crust from the two plates melted it rose back to the surface and formed the mountain range.

The origins of The Andes can be traced back to the breaking up of Pangea, however, it was during the Cretaceous period that the shaping of The Andes, as we know it today, really began. The subduction of these two plates continues today and it is evidenced by the volume of earthquakes and volcanic activity in the area.

This question was provided by pollucci19.

Answer: Whale

The volcanoes of Kamchatka occur in Russia, right at the eastern edge of Asia. There are 29 active volcanoes in this part of the Ring of Fire. The most active is Karymsky which has been erupting continuously since 1996.

This question was provided by VegemiteKid.

Answer: Rabbit

The melting snow in spring time on Mount Azuma-kofuji takes on the form of a rabbit. The appearance of the Snow Rabbit on Mount Azuma was used by the locals as a way to time the planting of their crops. Mount Azuma is a stratovolcano and is still active, and is also a popular tourist site due to the hot springs nearby. From the top of the volcano the nearby city of Fukushima can be viewed.

This question was provided by zonko.

Answer: Mount Erebus

Antarctica, with its large set of volcanoes, completes the southern end of the Pacific Ring of Fire and Mount Erebus is possibly the most well known of these. The geology of the Antarctic Peninsula is seen by scientists as an extension of the Andes and, as a consequence, it is not unusual to hear this region often spoken of as the "Antarctandes".

Mount Erebus, which has been continuously active since 1972, has an elevation of 12,448 feet, which makes it the second highest volcano, behind Mount Sidley, on the continent. It was discovered in 1841 while it was in eruption, by Sir James Ross who named it after one of his ships (and not the Greek god of darkness). The mountain became the subject of a robotic exploration in 1992. An eight-legged robot called Dante 1 entered the crater with a view to study the chemistry, temperature and radioactivity within the volcano. Whilst a great deal of valuable data was gleaned the robot was unable to make the base of the crater.

This question was provided by pollucci19.

Answer: False

Denali is actually a granitic pluton that was uplifted by tectonic pressure from the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American Plate. Erosion then stripped away the sedimentary rock which had surrounded the mountain. Denali has a summit elevation of 20,320 feet and has the tallest base-to-peak height of any mountain on earth that is above sea level. Its ratio is 17,000 to 19,000 feet whereas Mount Everest's is only 12,000 to 15,300 feet. The Mauna Kea Volcano in Hawaii has a higher ratio at 33,500 feet but most of that is underwater.

Although Denali is not a volcano itself, the subduction that brought about its formation is also responsible for the formation of Alaska's volcanoes which are some of the most active in North America. These volcanoes lie mostly in the south and on the Aleutian Islands. These volcanoes along with the ones on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia form the northern edge of the Ring of Fire.

This question was provided by tazman6619.

Answer: It's the only one named for a person.

The Juan de Fuca Plate is one of the smallest plates and is gradually being subducted under the North American Plate. It is named for explorer Juan de Fuca, who, though born in Italy in 1536, was in the service of the king of Spain. Interestingly, the rest of the plates are named for geographic regions, though the Nazca plate is named for a people group as well as a region.

This question was provided by VegemiteKid.

Answer: Cordillera Occidental

Bolivia is home to a large number of volcanoes thanks to the subduction of the Nazca Plate underneath the South American Plate. The Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) holds the country's Cenozoic volcanoes and there are some ancient ones on the Precambrian Guapore Shield. The active volcanoes are all international mountains on the Cordillera Occidental and they create a border with Bolivia's next door neighbour, Chile. Bolivia's highest peaks, including the mighty Nevado Sajama, are in the northern end of this range while the southern end contains Licanabur, considered to be the world's most active volcano.

This question was provided by pollucci19.

Answer: Garibaldi Lake

The Barrier is a lava dam that helps retain the waters of Garibaldi Lake. The Barrier formed after two eruptions from Clinker Peak that are estimated to have occurred around 9,000 years ago. Clinker Peak is part of the Mount Price volcano. The lava flow met glacial ice in the valley, causing it to cool and form the dam. Later melting of the glacial ice formed the lake. The lava dam is about 2 km wide and over 300 m in thickness. Due to erosion from rainfall and volcanic and seismic activity, concerns about The Barrier's stability have caused the local government to ban humans living below the barrier since 1981. Between Mount Garibaldi and Lake Garibaldi there are the remnants of a tuya volcano known as The Table. The Table has featured in TV shows and was also used as a setting for the movie 'Agent Cody Banks'.

This question was provided by zonko.

Answer: Turtle

Guishan Island is literally translated as Turtle Mountain Island. It was so named because the island looks like a turtle floating on the surface of the water. The volcanic island has been made a maritime ecological park and tourism is regulated. Tourists need to apply to visit the island and the application as well as marine transportation must be arranged at least one week before the intended visiting date.

This question was provided by purelyqing.