Whose theory first explained why volcanoes and earthquakes cluster in the Pacific Ring of Fire?

The Pacific Ring of Fire is not the work of one scientist but a product of the plate tectonics revolution. Alfred Wegener first proposed continental drift in 1912, and later work by Harry Hess, John Tuzo Wilson, and others showed that moving plates and subduction explain the concentration of volcanoes and earthquakes around the Pacific. This framework accounts for deep trenches, volcanic arcs, and frequent large quakes. It also explains why countries like Japan, Chile, Indonesia, and New Zealand face major tectonic hazards. Plate tectonics remains the central theory for understanding these patterns.