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Ring of Fire

January 2, 2014

The Pacific “Ring of Fire” produces some of the most destructive earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions on Earth, including the 2011 Japan mega-quake and tsunami. WHOI geophysicist Jian Lin (middle) and colleagues recently conducted detailed investigation of seafloor tectonics of the Mariana, Japan, and Philippine Trenches in the western Pacific Ocean. The researchers, including WHOI guest students Minqiang Tang (right) and Yanhui Suo (left), are also preparing experiments to investigate the geological origin of deep trenches, including the deepest point on Earth—the Challenger Deep—that lies some 10,900 meters beneath the ocean. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)