Which region contains about 75% of Earth's active volcanoes?

• A. Pacific Ring of Fire
• B. Alpine Belt
• C. Caribbean Arc
• D. Atlantic Ridge

Answer: (A)

Volcanic activity is concentrated along plate boundaries, especially where one plate sinks beneath another. Around the Pacific Ocean, a vast network of subduction zones forms the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped belt that hosts a huge abundance of volcanoes. This region accounts for about three-quarters of Earth’s active volcanoes because melting in the subduction zones fuels many magma chambers, producing frequent eruptions. The other options don’t match this dense, ring-like pattern: the Alpine Belt in Europe has far fewer active volcanoes, the Caribbean Arc has some but not nearly as many, and the Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean boundary with volcanism that is less concentrated than the Ring of Fire.