seismic zone
{{Short description|Geographic zones of interest in seismology}}
File:Quake_epicenters_1963-98.png
In seismology, a seismic zone or seismic belt is an area of seismicity potentially sharing a common cause. It can be referred to as an earthquake belt as well. It may also be a region on a map for which a common areal rate of seismicity is assumed for the purpose of calculating probabilistic ground motions. An obsolete definition is a region on a map in which a common level of seismic design is required.{{cite web|url=https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-seismic-zone-or-seismic-hazard-zone-where-can-i-find-information-seismic-zones-0-1-2-3?qt-news_science_products=7#qt-news_science_products|title=What is a seismic zone, or seismic hazard zone? Where can I find information on seismic zones 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4? What seismic zone is location X in?|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=2018-05-31}}
The major seismic zones
A type of seismic zone is a Wadati–Benioff zone which corresponds with the down-going slab in a subduction zone.{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/60933/Benioff-zone|title=Benioff zone (seismic belt) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2018-05-31}} The world's greatest seismic belt, known as the Circum-Pacific seismic belt,{{Cite web |title=Where do earthquakes occur? {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/where-do-earthquakes-occur |access-date=2024-06-01 |publisher=United States Geological Survey}} is where a majority of the Earth's quakes occur. Approximately 81% of major earthquakes occur along this belt. The Circum-Pacific seismic belt has earned its own nickname and is often referred to as the Ring of Fire, a ring-like formation that encompasses a majority of the Pacific Ocean. The notorious San Andreas Fault,{{Cite web |title=The San Andreas Fault |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq3/safaultgip.html |access-date=2024-06-01 |publisher=United States Geological Survey}} responsible for many major quakes in the West Coast of the United States, lies within the Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt or Ring of Fire.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-09 |title=Ring of Fire {{!}} Definition, Map, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ring-of-Fire |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en}}