So, the countries and the areas that lie on the boundaries of the tectonic plates are prone to earthquakes the most. And the thing about Japan is that it is situated at a place where four tectonic plates come together. The Pacific plate, the Philippine plate, the Eurasian plate, and the North American plate. This is the biggest reason why so many earthquakes are seen in Japan. Among them, the Pacific plate stands out a bit. Since it has the highest amount of tectonic activity.
So, the boundary of the Pacific plate is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. Because this causes the highest number of earthquakes in the world. As well as the highest number of volcanoes. To some extent, this is true for the other plates as well. And the countries located on their boundaries witness a higher frequency of earthquakes.
For example, if you see India’s northern boundary, the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates, that passes through Nepal, amidst the Himalayan mountains, this causes devastating earthquakes in Nepal. The earthquakes in North India, in Delhi and its surrounding regions, in most cases, their epicentre lies between these two plates.
Compare this with regions like Australia, Russia or Europe, where you rarely see any earthquakes. When was the last time you heard about a terrible earthquake in Australia? It’s not like there have been no earthquakes in Australia at all. But the regions that lie in the middle of the tectonic plates, get earthquakes at a lower frequency. And when earthquakes do occur, they are not as devastating.
