Volcanoes are primarily located along tectonic plate boundaries and at hotspots. The main locations include:
- Mid-ocean ridges: Most of Earth's volcanoes are underwater along the mid-ocean ridge system, which stretches about 65,000 km across the major oceans. These ridges are constructive plate boundaries where magma rises as plates diverge, producing about 80% of Earth's magma output
- Pacific Ring of Fire: Over 75% of the world's land volcanoes are found around the Pacific Ocean, especially along subduction zones where one tectonic plate slides under another. This area is known as the Ring of Fire and includes many active volcanoes on the west coasts of North and South America, as well as around Japan, Indonesia, and other parts of East Asia
- Other plate boundaries: Volcanoes also occur at other destructive (subducting) and constructive (divergent) plate boundaries, such as the mid-Atlantic ridge between the North American and Eurasian plates
- Hotspots: Some volcanoes form away from plate boundaries at hotspots, where plumes of hot mantle material rise to the surface. Examples include the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean
In summary, volcanoes are mostly found along oceanic ridges, subduction zones around the Pacific Ocean, and at mantle hotspots. Notable volcanic regions include the Pacific Ring of Fire, mid-ocean ridges, and volcanic islands like Hawaii
