Indonesia's Explosive Geology Explained

Indonesia is a dangerous country to call home.

Precariously located above the grinding and mashing of several tectonic plates, and ringed by a chain of fire-breathing volcanoes, the country's islands are located in one of the most volatile regions in the world. The eruption of a volcano and the shaking of a tsunami-generating earthquake this week is just one reminder of Indonesia's fiery foundation.

As the world's largest archipelago — spread across 17,500 islands — Indonesia sits between the world's most active seismic region — the notorious Pacific Ring of Fire — and the world's second most active region — the Alpide belt. Being sandwiched between such seismicity has meant the islands experience some of the strongest earthquakes and most powerful volcanic eruptions known on Earth. [Related: Why Do Some Earthquakes Cause Tsunamis But Others Don't?]

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Earthquakes typically occur along faults, which are breaks in the rocky plates of the Earth's crust. These faults accumulate strain over the years as two plates butt heads. Roughly 90 percent of all the world's earthquakes, and 80 percent of the world's largest earthquakes, strike along the Ring of Fire. About 17 percent of the world's largest earthquakes and 5-6 percent of all quakes occur along the Alpide belt.

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Brett Israel was a staff writer for Live Science with a focus on environmental issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from The University of Georgia, a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, and has studied doctorate-level biochemistry at Emory University.