Distribution of earthquakes

Earthquakes do not happen at random. While some parts of the world witness more than one quake a day, others, more fortunate, may have almost never had one.

Earthquakes do not happen at random. While some parts of the world witness more than one quake a day, others, more fortunate, may have almost never had one. Why are earthquakes concentrated in some areas?

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Earthquake risk is maximum along fault lines, at the contact zones between two plates, especially converging ones. As these fault lines lie largely at the margins of the tectonic or lithospheric plates, the surface areas corresponding to these are most frequented by earthquakes.

The Pacific rim witnesses earthquakes on a regular basis. About 80 per cent of the minor earthquakes that occur daily are in this region. Among the heavily populated areas that are affected in this region include Japan, South East Asian islands including Taiwan, Philippines and most of Indonesia, New Zealand and western coasts of North and South America.

Another zone of high seismic activity is at the meeting point the Eurasian plate with a number of smaller plates from the south, including the Indian. This Eurasian zone begins from under the Mediterranean Sea and travels through western Asia, the Himalayas, the Arakans, Sumatra and Java, meeting the circum Pacific belt.

Seismic Region 41
Eastern Asia

Seismic Region 42
Eastern Siberia & Arctic America

Seismic Region 43
Southeastern & Antarctic Pacific

Seismic Region 44
Galapagos Islands Area

Seismic Region 45
Macquarie Loop

Seismic Region 46
Andaman Islands to Sumatera

Seismic Region 47
Afghanistan and Pakistan

Seismic Region 48
Hindu Kush and Pamir Area

Seismic Region 49
Northern Eurasia

Seismic Region 50
Antarctica