The Ring of Fire is a large horseshoe-shaped zone around the edges of the Pacific Ocean characterized by a high level of seismic activity, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It stretches approximately 40,000 km (25,000 miles) and contains about 75% of the world's active volcanoes and around 90% of the world's earthquakes. This region outlines the boundaries of several tectonic plates, including the Pacific Plate, where subduction zones occur—places where one tectonic plate is forced under another, causing magma to rise and form volcanoes. The Ring of Fire spans from the southern tip of South America along the west coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, down through Asia and the islands of the western Pacific, all the way to New Zealand. It includes oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and is home to many of the earth's most powerful earthquakes and largest volcanic eruptions.