Where Earthquakes Mostly Occur

No part of Earth's surface is free from earthquakes, but some regions experience them more frequently. They are most common at tectonic plate boundaries where different plates meet. The largest events usually happen where two plates are colliding, or colliding and sliding past one another, particularly around the edge of the Pacific Plate, for example in New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Japan and the Americas, and in Indonesia, where the Indo-Australian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate.

The most common part of the world to experience earthquakes are the regions in the so called ring of fire, an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.