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Whose work first explained why volcanoes tend to form in chains around the Pacific Rim?

Quick Answer

The explanation is tied to the plate tectonics revolution led by scientists such as J. Tuzo Wilson and others in the 1960s. They showed that subduction zones create volcanic arcs along plate boundaries.

The Full Story

The pattern of volcano chains around the Pacific became clear once plate tectonics was accepted in the 1960s. J. Tuzo Wilson was among the key scientists who helped explain how plates move and interact. Where one plate sinks beneath another at a subduction zone, water and heat help generate magma, producing volcanic arcs. This explains the Pacific Ring of Fire, which contains many of Earth’s most active volcanoes and earthquakes. The idea transformed geology from static continents to moving plates.

Key Facts

1.Plate tectonics became widely accepted in the 1960s

2.Subduction zones generate many arc volcanoes

3.The Pacific Ring of Fire contains most of Earth’s active volcanoes

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