title: President of the Philippines

text: The Constitution also provides term limits where the president is ineligible for reelection and a person who has succeeded as president and has served as such for more than four years will be ineligible to be elected for a second term. However, with the case of Joseph Estrada who was elected president in 1998, deposed in 2001, and again ran for the presidency in 2010, the Constitution's wording where "[the] President shall not be eligible for any re-election" remains unclear as his case was never brought to the Supreme Court. It remains unclear whether the term limit of no re-election applies only to the incumbent president or for any person who has been elected as president.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The president is elected by direct vote every six years, usually on the second Monday of May. The latest election was held in 2022.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The returns of every election for president and vice president, duly certified by the board of canvassers of each province or city, shall be transmitted to Congress, directed to the president of the Senate. Upon receipt of the certificates of canvass, the president of the Senate shall open all the certificates in the presence of a joint public session of Congress not later than 30 days after election day. Congress then canvasses the votes upon determining that the polls are authentic and were done in the manner provided by law.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The person with the highest number of votes is declared the winner, but in case two or more have the highest number of votes, the president is elected by a majority of all members of Congress, with the Senate and the House of Representatives voting separately.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The president of the Philippines usually takes the oath of office at noon of June 30 following the presidential election. Traditionally, the vice president takes the oath first, a little before noon for two reasons. First, according to protocol, no one follows the president (who is last due to his supremacy), and second, to establish a constitutionally valid successor before the president-elect accedes. During Quezon's inauguration, however, the vice president and legislature were sworn in after the president, to symbolize a new start.


title: President of the Philippines

text: Custom has enshrined three places as the traditional venue for the inauguration ceremony: Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan; in front of the old Legislative Building (now part of the National Museum) in Manila; or at Quirino Grandstand, where most have been held. Some presidential have broken precedent, either due to extraordinary circumstances or In 2004, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivered her pre-inaugural address at Quirino Grandstand, took the oath of office in Cebu City before Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., and the next day held the first cabinet meeting in Butuan City. She broke with precedent, reasoning that she wanted to celebrate her inauguration in each of the three main island groups of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Her first inauguration also broke precedent as she was sworn in at the EDSA Shrine on January 20, 2001, during the EDSA Revolution of 2001 that removed Joseph Estrada from office.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The dress code at the modern inaugural ceremony is traditional, formal Filipino clothing, which is otherwise loosely termed "Filipiniana". Ladies must wear "baro't saya" (the formal wear of other indigenous groups is permissible), while men don the "barong tagalog". Non-Filipinos at the ceremony may wear their respective versions of formal dress, but foreign diplomats have often been seen donning "Filipiniana" as a mark of cultural respect.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The Constitution provides the following oath or affirmation for the president and vice president-elect which must be taken before they enter into office:


title: President of the Philippines

text: The Filipino text of the oath used for the inaugurations of Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Benigno Aquino III, and Bongbong Marcos reads:


title: President of the Philippines

text: As soon as the president takes the oath of office, a 21-gun salute is fired to salute the new head of state, and the presidential anthem ""We Say Mabuhay"" is played. The president delivers his inaugural address, and then proceeds to Malacañang Palace to climb the Grand Staircase, a ritual which symbolizes the formal possession of the palace. The president then inducts the newly formed cabinet into office in one of the state rooms.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is an annual event, in which the president reports on the status of the nation, normally to the resumption of a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate. This is a duty of the president as stated in Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The 1935 Constitution originally set the president's term at six years, without re-election. In 1940, however, the 1935 Constitution was amended and the term of the president (and vice president) was shortened to four years, with a two-term limit. Under the provisions of the amended 1935 document, only presidents Manuel L. Quezon (1941) and Ferdinand E. Marcos (1969) were re-elected. Presidents Sergio Osmeña (1946), Elpidio Quirino (1953), Carlos P. Garcia (1961) and Diosdado Macapagal (1965) all failed in seeking a new term. Marcos was the only president to serve three terms (1965–1969, 1969–1981, 1981–1986).


title: President of the Philippines

text: On August 24, 1970, Congress enacted RA No. 6132, otherwise known as the Constitutional Convention Act, for the purpose of convening a Constitutional Convention. The 320 delegates met from June 1971 until November 30, 1972, when they approved the draft of the new Charter. While in the process of drafting a new Constitution, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972. The draft Constitution was submitted to the Citizen's Assemblies from January 10 to 17, 1973 for ratification. On January 17, 1973, President Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1102, announcing the ratification of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. In 1981, President Marcos secured a third term, defeating Alejo Santos in an election.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The 1987 Constitution restored the 1935 Constitution's original ban on presidential reelection. Under Article 7, Section 4 of the current constitution, the term of the president shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date, six years thereafter. The incumbent president is not eligible for re-election, even if non-consecutive. Moreover, no president who serves more than four years of a presidential term is allowed to run or serve again.


title: President of the Philippines

text: Under Article 7, Section 7 of the Constitution, In case the president-elect fails to qualify, the vice president-elect shall act as president until the president-elect shall have qualified. If at the beginning of the term of the president, the president-elect shall have died or shall have become permanently disabled, the vice president-elect shall become president. Where no president and vice president shall have been chosen or shall have qualified, or where both shall have died or become permanently disabled, the president of the Senate or, in case of his inability, the speaker of the House of Representatives, shall act as president until a president or a vice president shall have been chosen and qualified.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The line of presidential succession as specified by Article 7, Section 8 of the Constitution are the vice president, Senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives. Contrary to popular belief, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is not in the line of succession. If the offices of both the president and vice president are vacant at the same time, Congress shall within a specific period enact a law calling for a special election. However, if the presidential election is 18 months away, no special election shall be called. An acting president may temporarily assume the duties of president.


title: President of the Philippines

text: Impeachment in the Philippines follows procedures similar to the United States. The House of Representatives, one of the houses of the bicameral Congress, has the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment against the president, vice president, members of the Supreme Court, members of the constitutional commissions and the ombudsman. When a third of its membership has endorsed the impeachment articles, it is then transmitted to the Senate of the Philippines which tries and decide, as impeachment tribunal, the impeachment case. A main difference from U.S. proceedings however is that only a third of House members are required to approve the motion to impeach the president (as opposed to the majority required in the United States). In the Senate, selected members of the House of Representatives act as the prosecutors and the senators act as judges with the Senate president and chief justice of the Supreme Court jointly presiding over the proceedings. Like the United States, to convict the official in question requires that a minimum of two-thirds (i.e., 16 of 24 members) of the senate vote in favor of conviction. If an impeachment attempt is unsuccessful or the official is acquitted, no new cases can be filed against that impeachable official for at least one full year.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The Constitution enumerates the culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust as grounds for the impeachment of the president. The same also applies for the vice president, the members of the Supreme Court, the members of the constitutional commissions, and the ombudsman.


title: President of the Philippines

text: Malacañang Palace is the official residence of the president of the Philippines, a privilege entitled to him/her under Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution. The palace is located along the north bank of the Pasig River, along J.P. Laurel Street in the district of San Miguel, Manila. The Filipino name is derived from the Tagalog phrase ""may lakán diyán"" ("there is a nobleman there"), and this was eventually shortened to "Malakanyáng". The complex includes several mansions and office buildings built and designed in the bahay na bato and neoclassical architectural styles.


title: President of the Philippines

text: Before Malacañang Palace was designated as the official residence of the president, various establishments served as residence of the chief executive in the Philippines. The Spanish governor-general, the highest-ranking official in the Philippines during the Spanish Era, resided in the Palacio del Gobernador inside the walled city of Intramuros. However, after an earthquake in 1863, the Palacio del Gobernador was destroyed, and the residence and office of the governor-general was transferred to Malacañang Palace. During the Philippine Revolution, President Aguinaldo resided in his own home in Kawit, Cavite. After his defeat in the Philippine–American War, Aguinaldo transferred the capital of the Philippines several times as he struggled against invading American Forces. When the Americans occupied the Philippines, they also used the palace as an official residence for their governors-general. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the presidential seat and government offices were transferred to the more inland Baguio, where the Mansion House was used as the official residence. Meanwhile, President Manuel L. Quezon of the Philippine Commonwealth government-in-exile resided in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. After the restoration of independence in 1946, plans were made for the construction of the new presidential residence to replace Malacañang in a new capital city. However, the plans did not push through and the president's official residence is still Malacañang Palace in Manila.


title: President of the Philippines

text: A secondary residence within the wider palace grounds is "Bahay ng Pagbabago" (), formerly known as "Bahay Pangarap" (), a smaller structure located on the south bank of the Pasig River across the main palace in Malacañang Park, which is itself part of the Presidential Security Group Complex. President Benigno Aquino III was the first to use "Bahay Pangarap" as his official residence. It was originally built in the 1930s under President Quezon as a rest house and venue for informal activities and social functions of the First Family. The house was designed by architect Juan Arellano in the 1930s, and underwent several renovations in the early 1960s, 2008, and 2010.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The president also has several other official residences nationwide for official use. The Mansion in Baguio is the official summer palace of the president. The palace was originally built in 1908 to serve as the summer residence for American Governors-General, and later became the holiday home and working office for presidents when the government would temporarily visit Baguio. Malacañang of the South in Davao City is the president's residence in Mindanao. It was built in 2005 on state property and serves as an official residence and base of operations for presidents when visiting Davao and the surrounding provinces. Malacañang sa Sugbo in Cebu City was the former official residence in the Visayas. Originally the local office of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), it was converted to a palace in 2004. It was later returned to the BOC. Malacañang of the North was also an official residence of the president in the Ilocos Region. The residence is currently a presidential museum.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The 250th (Presidential) Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force has the mandate of providing safe and efficient air transport for the president of the Philippines and the First Family. On occasion, the wing has also been tasked to provide transportation for other members of government, visiting heads of state, and other state guests.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The majority of the fleet is fairly dated with a few exceptions it includes: 1 Fokker F28, which is primarily used for the president's domestic trips and it is also called "Kalayaan One" when the president is on board, 4 Bell 412 helicopters, 3 Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, 1 Sikorsky S-70-5 Black Hawk, a number of Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys, as well as Fokker F-27 "Friendship"s. In September 2020, a new Gulfstream G280 was delivered which will be used for VIP transport as well as for C2 (Command and Control) missions. For trips outside of the Philippines, the Air Force employs a Bombardier Global Express or charters appropriate aircraft from the country's flag carrier, Philippine Airlines. Any PAL aircraft with the flight number "PR/PAL 001" and callsign "PHILIPPINE 001" is a flight operated by Philippine Airlines to transport the president of the Philippines. The president sometimes charter private jets for domestic trips within the Philippines due to some airports in the Philippines having small runways.


title: President of the Philippines

text: "BRP Ang Pangulo" ("BRP" stands for "Barkó ng Repúblika ng Pilipinas", "Ship of the Republic of the Philippines"; ""Ang Pangulo"" is Filipino for "the president") was commissioned by the Philippine Navy on March 7, 1959. It was built in and by Japan during the administration of President García as part of Japanese reparations to the Philippines for World War II. It is primarily used in entertaining guests of the incumbent president.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The president of the Philippines uses two black and heavily armored Mercedes-Benz W221 S600 Guard, whereas one is a decoy vehicle. In convoys, the president is escorted by the Presidential Security Group using primarily Nissan Patrol SUVs with the combination of the following vehicles: Audi A6, BMW 7 Series, Chevrolet Suburban, Hyundai Equus, Hyundai Starex, Toyota Camry, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Land Cruiser, Philippine National Police 400cc motorcycles, Philippine National Police Toyota Altis (Police car variant), other government-owned vehicles, and ambulances at the tail of the convoy; the number depends on the destination. The presidential cars are designated and registered a plate number of "1" or the word "PANGULO" (president). The limousine bears the flag of the Philippines and, occasionally, the presidential standard.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The Office of the President has also owned various cars over the decades, including a 1937 Chrysler Airflow that served as the country's very first presidential limousine for Manuel L. Quezon. For regional trips, the president boards a Toyota Coaster or Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa or other vehicles owned by government-owned and controlled corporations or government agencies. In this case, the PSG escorts the president using local police cars with an ambulance at the tail of the convoy. Former president Benigno Aquino III, preferred to use his personal vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 or his relative's Lexus LX 570 over the black presidential limousines after their electronic mechanisms were damaged by floodwater. Malacañang had announced its interest to acquire a new presidential limousine. His successor, Rodrigo Duterte, utilized a white, bullet-proof armored Toyota Landcruiser as his official presidential vehicle.


title: President of the Philippines

text: The Presidential Security Group (abbreviated PSG), is the lead agency tasked with providing security for the president, vice president, and their immediate families. They also provide protective service for visiting heads of state and diplomats.


title: President of the Philippines

text: Unlike similar groups around the world who protect other political figures, the PSG is not required to handle presidential candidates. However, former presidents and their immediate families are entitled to a small security detail from the PSG. Currently, the PSG uses Nissan Patrol SUVs as its primary security vehicles.


title: President of the Philippines

text: After leaving office, a number of presidents held various public positions and made an effort to remain in the limelight. Among other honors, former presidents and their immediate families are entitled to seven soldiers as their security detail.


title: President of the Philippines

text: As of , there are three living former presidents. The most recent death of a former president was Fidel V. Ramos (1928-2022).


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: King Kong is a 2005 epic adventure monster film co-written, produced, and directed by Peter Jackson. It is the eighth entry in the King Kong franchise and the second remake of the 1933 film of the same title, following the 1976 film. The film stars Andy Serkis, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, and Adrien Brody. Set in 1933, it follows the story of an ambitious filmmaker who coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island. There, they encounter prehistoric creatures and a legendary giant gorilla known as Kong, whom they capture and take to New York City.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Development for the film began in early 1995, when Jackson was offered by Universal Pictures to direct the remake of the original 1933 film, but stalled the project in early 1997, as several ape and giant monster-related films were under production that time and Jackson planned to direct "The Lord of the Rings" film series. As the first two films in the trilogy became commercially successful, Universal approached Jackson in early 2003, expressing his interest to restart development on the project, which he eventually agreed. Filming for "King Kong" took place in New Zealand from September 2004 to March 2005. It is currently one of the most expensive films ever produced as its budget climbed from an initial $150 million to a then-record-breaking $207 million.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: "King Kong" was premiered at New York City on December 5, 2005, and was theatrically released in Germany and United States on December 14. The film garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, and eventually appeared in several top ten lists for 2005; it received praise for the special effects, performances, sense of spectacle and comparison to the 1933 original, though some criticisms were focused on its 3-hour long run time. It was a commercial success, grossing over $562 million and became the fourth-highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures history at that time and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2005. It also generated $100 million in DVD sales upon its home video release in March 2006. It won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. A tie-in video game was released alongside the film, which also became a commercial and critical success.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: A sequel, "Skull Island", entered development in 2013, with Jackson producing the film and Adam Wingard set to direct. However, the project was abandoned after Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the rights and ultimately rebooted the franchise with the 2017 film "" as a part of Legendary's MonsterVerse. Wingard would later direct the 2021 film "Godzilla vs. Kong".


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: In 1933, during the Great Depression, New York City actress Ann Darrow is hired by financially troubled filmmaker Carl Denham to star in a film with actor Bruce Baxter. Ann learns her favorite playwright, Jack Driscoll, is the screenwriter. Filming takes place on the SS "Venture", under Captain Englehorn, and under Carl's pretense it will be sailing to Singapore. In truth, Carl intends to film the mysterious Skull Island. Captain Englehorn reconsiders the voyage, prompted by his crew's speculation of trouble ahead. During the voyage, Ann and Jack fall in love.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The "Venture" receives a radio message informing Englehorn there is a warrant for Carl's arrest due to his defiance of the studio's orders to cease production, and instructing Englehorn to divert to Rangoon, but the ship becomes lost in fog and runs aground on Skull Island. Carl and his film crew, including cameraman Herb, assistant Preston, actor Bruce Baxter, and boom operator Mike, explore the island and are attacked by natives who kill Mike and a crewman. Englehorn rescues the film crew, but as they prepare to leave, a native sneaks onto the ship and abducts Ann. The natives offer Ann as a sacrifice to Kong, a gorilla. Jack notices Ann's disappearance, and the crew returns to the island, but Kong flees with Ann into the jungle. Carl catches a glimpse of Kong and becomes determined to film him.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Ann wins Kong over with her juggling and dancing skills and begins to grasp his intelligence and capacity for emotion. Englehorn organizes a rescue party, led by his first mate Hayes and Jack, and accompanied by Carl, Herb, Baxter and Preston. The party gets caught between a herd of Apatosaurus-like "Brontosaurus baxteri" and a pack of Utahraptor-like "Venatosaurus saevidicus" hunting them, with Herb and several other men killed in the resulting stampede. Baxter and others return to the ship.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The remaining party members continue through the jungle when Kong attacks, making them fall into a ravine resulting in Hayes' death and Carl losing his camera. Kong rescues Ann from three Tyrannosaurus-like "Vastatosaurus rex", bringing her to his den in the mountains. The remaining rescue party are attacked by giant insects in the ravine, resulting in the death of three more crew members, but Preston, Carl, Jack, and Hayes' apprentice Jimmy are rescued by Baxter and Englehorn. Jack searches for Ann alone, while Carl decides to capture Kong. Jack finds Kong's lair and accidentally awakens him, but escapes with Ann. They arrive at the wall with Kong pursuing them. Kong kills several sailors, but is subdued when Carl knocks him out with chloroform.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: In New York City that winter, Carl presents "Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World" on Broadway, starring Baxter and an imprisoned Kong. Ann, who refused to take part in the performance, is played by an anonymous chorus girl. Agitated by the chorus girl not being Ann and flashes from cameras, Kong breaks free from the chains and wrecks the theater. Kong searches the city for Ann and chases Jack before encountering her again. The U.S. Army attacks, and Kong tries getting Ann and himself to safety by climbing to the top of the Empire State Building.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Six Navy planes arrive, which Kong fights. After downing three of them, Kong is mortally wounded from the planes' gunfire and falls. As Jack reaches the top of the building to comfort and embrace Ann, civilians, policemen, and soldiers gather around the beast's corpse in the street, one bystander commenting the airplanes got him. Carl makes his way through the crowd, takes one last look at Kong and says, "It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: In addition, director Jackson appears with makeup artist Rick Baker as the pilot and gunner on the airplane that kills the title character, his children appear as New York children, "The Lord of the Rings" co-producer Rick Porras and "The Shawshank Redemption" director Frank Darabont appear as a gunners in the other airplanes, and Bob Burns and his wife appear as New York bystanders. Frequent Jackson collaborator Howard Shore makes a cameo appearance as the conductor of the New York theater from where Kong escapes. Shore was initially set to compose for the film before his exit.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Peter Jackson was nine years old when he first saw the 1933 film, and was in tears in front of the TV when Kong was shot and fell off the Empire State Building. At age 12, he attempted to recreate the film using his parents' Super 8 mm film camera and a model of Kong made of wire and rubber with his mother's fur coat for the hair, but eventually gave up on the project. "King Kong" eventually became his favorite film and was the primary inspiration for his decision to become a filmmaker as a teenager. He read books about the making of "King Kong" and collected memorabilia, as well as articles from "Famous Monsters of Filmland". Jackson paid tribute to the 1933 film by including Skull Island as the origin of the zombie plague in his 1992 film "Braindead".


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: During the filming of Jackson's 1996 film "The Frighteners", Universal Pictures was impressed with Jackson's dailies and early visual effects footage. The studio was adamant to work with Jackson on his next project and, in late 1995, offered him the chance to direct a remake of the 1954 film "Creature from the Black Lagoon". He turned down the offer, but Universal became aware of Jackson's obsession with "King Kong" and subsequently offered him the opportunity to direct that remake. The studio did not have to worry about lawsuits concerning the film rights from RKO Pictures (the studio behind the 1933 film) because the King Kong character is held in the public domain. Jackson initially turned down the "King Kong" offer, but he "quickly became disturbed by the fact that someone else would take it over," Jackson continued, "and make it into a terrible film; that haunted me and I eventually said yes to Universal."


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: At the same time, Jackson was working with Harvey Weinstein and Miramax Films to purchase the film rights of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", while 20th Century Fox was trying to hire him for the 2001 remake of "Planet of the Apes". Jackson turned down "Planet of the Apes" and because Weinstein was taking longer than expected to buy "The Lord of the Rings" rights, Jackson decided to move forward on "King Kong". Weinstein was furious, and, as a result, Jackson proposed a deal between Universal and Miramax that the two studios would equally finance "King Kong" with Jackson's production company Wingnut Films. Universal would receive distribution rights in the United States, while Miramax would cover foreign territories. Jackson was also warranted the right of final cut privilege, a percentage of the gross profits, as well as artistic control; Universal allowed all filming and visual effects to be handled entirely in New Zealand. The deal was settled in April 1996, and Jackson, along with wife Fran Walsh, began working on the "King Kong" script. In the original draft, Ann was the daughter of famed English archaeologist Lord Linwood Darrow exploring ancient ruins in Sumatra. They would come into conflict with Denham during his filming, and they would uncover a hidden Kong statue and the map of Skull Island. This would indicate that the island natives were the last remnants of a cult religion that had once thrived on Asia's mainland. Instead of a playwright, Jack was the first mate and an ex-World War I fighter pilot still struggling with the loss of his best friend, who had been killed in battle during a World War I prologue. The camera-man Herb is the only supporting character in the original draft who made it to the final version. The fight between Kong and the three "V. rex" also changed from the original draft. In the draft, Ann is actually caught in the "V. rex" jaws, where she becomes wedged, and slashed by the teeth; after the fight, Kong gets her out but she is suffering from a fever, from which she then recovers.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Universal approved of the script with Robert Zemeckis as executive producer, and pre-production for "King Kong" commenced. The plan was to begin filming sometime in 1997 for a summer 1998 release date. Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, under the supervision of Richard Taylor and Christian Rivers, began work on early visual effects tests, specifically the complex task of building a CGI version of New York City circa 1933. Jackson and Walsh progressed with a second draft script, sets were being designed and location scouting commenced in Sumatra and New Zealand. In late 1996, Jackson flew to production of the 1997 film "Titanic" in Mexico to discuss the part of Ann Darrow with Kate Winslet, with whom he previously worked with on his 1994 film "Heavenly Creatures". Minnie Driver was also being reportedly considered. Jackson's choices for Jack Driscoll and Carl Denham included George Clooney and Robert De Niro. However, development for "King Kong" was stalled in January 1997 when Universal became concerned over the upcoming release of the 1998 film "Godzilla", as well as other ape-related remakes with the 1998 film "Mighty Joe Young" and the 2001 film "Planet of the Apes". Universal abandoned "King Kong" in February 1997 after Weta Workshop and Weta Digital had already designed six months' worth of pre-production. Jackson then decided to start work on "The Lord of the Rings" film series.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: With the financial and critical success of the 2001 film "" and the 2002 film "", Universal approached Jackson in early 2003, during the post-production of "", concerning his interest in restarting development on "King Kong". In March 2003, Universal set a target December 2005 release date and Jackson and Walsh brought "The Lord of the Rings" co-writer Philippa Boyens on to help rewrite their 1996 script. Jackson offered New Line Cinema the opportunity to co-finance with Universal, but they declined. Universal and Jackson originally projected a $150 million budget, which eventually rose to $175 million. Jackson made a deal with Universal whereby he would be paid a $20 million salary against 20% of the box office gross for directing, producing and co-writing. He shared that fee with co-writers Walsh (which also covered her producing credit) and Boyens. However, if "King Kong" were to go over its $175 million budget, the penalties would be covered by Jackson.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Immediately after the completion of "The Return of the King", Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, supervised by Taylor, Rivers, and Joe Letteri, started pre-production on "King Kong". Jackson brought back most of the crew he had on "The Lord of the Rings" series, including cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, production designer Grant Major, art directors Simon Bright and Dan Hennah, conceptual designer Alan Lee, and editor Jamie Selkirk. Jackson, Walsh and Boyens began to write a new script in late October 2003. Jackson acknowledged that he was highly unsatisfied with the original 1996 script. "That was actually just Fran and Peter very hurriedly getting something down on paper", Boyens explained. "It was more one of many possible ways the story could go." The writers chose to base the new screenplay on the 1933 film rather than the 1996 script. They also included scenes from James Ashmore Creelman's screenplay that were either abandoned or omitted during production of the original film. In the scene where Kong shakes the surviving sailors pursuing Ann and himself from a log into the ravine, for example, directors Merian Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack originally intended to depict giant spiders emerging from the rock to devour their bodies. This was cut from the original release print, and remains known to "Kong" fans only via a rare still that appeared in "Famous Monsters of Filmland". Jackson included this scene and elaborated upon it. Jackson, Walsh and Boyens also cited Delos W. Lovelace's 1932 novelisation of "King Kong" as inspiration, which included the character Lumpy (Andy Serkis). To make the relationship between Ann Darrow and Kong plausible, the writers studied hours of gorilla footage. Jackson also optioned "Early Havoc", a memoir written by vaudeville performer June Havoc to help Walsh and Boyens flesh out Ann Darrow's characterisation. Carl Denham was intentionally modeled after and inspired by Orson Welles. Their new draft was finished in February 2004.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Principal photography started on September 6, 2004 at Camperdown Studios in Miramar, New Zealand. Camperdown housed the native village and the Great Wall, while the streets of New York City were constructed on its backlot and at Gracefield in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. The majority of the SS "Venture" scenes were shot aboard a full-scale deck constructed in the parking lot at Camperdown Studio and then were backed with a green screen, with the ocean digitally added in post. Scenes set in the Broadway theater from which King Kong makes his escape were filmed in Wellington's Opera House and at the Auckland Civic Theatre. Filming also took place at Stone Street Studios, where a new sound stage was constructed to accommodate one of the sets. Over the course of filming the budget went from $175 million to $207 million over additional visual effects work needed, and Jackson extending the film's running time by thirty minutes. Jackson covered the $32 million surplus himself and finished filming in March 2005.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The film's budget climbed from an initial US$150 million to a then-record-breaking $207 million and received a subsidy of $34 million from New Zealand, making it at one point the most expensive film yet made. Universal only agreed to such an outlay after seeing a screening of the unfinished film, to which executives responded enthusiastically. Marketing and promotion costs were an estimated $60 million. The film's length also grew; originally set to be 135 minutes, it soon grew to 200, prompting Universal executives to fly to New Zealand to view a rough cut, but they liked it so their concerns were addressed.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Other difficulties included Peter Jackson's decision to change composers from Howard Shore to James Newton Howard seven weeks before the film opened.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Jackson saw "King Kong" as opportunity for technical innovations in motion capture, commissioning Christian Rivers of Weta Digital to supervise all aspects of Kong's performance. Jackson decided early on that he did not want Kong to behave like a human, and so he and his team studied hours of gorilla footage. Serkis was cast in the title role in April 2003 and prepared himself by working with gorillas at the London Zoo. He then traveled to Rwanda, observing the actions and behaviors of gorillas in the wild. Rivers explained that the detailed facial performance capture with Serkis was accomplished because of the similarities between human and gorilla faces. "Gorillas have such a similar looking set of eyes and brows, you can look at those expressions and transpose your own interpretation onto them." Photos of silverback gorillas were also superimposed on Kong's image in the early stages of animation. Serkis had to go through two hours of motion capture makeup every day, having 135 small markers attached to different spots on his face. Following principal photography, Serkis had to spend an additional two months on a motion capture stage, miming Kong's movements for the film's digital animators.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Apart from Kong, Skull Island is inhabited by dinosaurs and other large fauna. Inspired by Dougal Dixon's works, the designers imagined what 65 million years or more of isolated evolution might have done to dinosaurs and the other creatures.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The original score was initially set to composed by Howard Shore and has written several cues for the film. Due to creative differences with Jackson, Shore opted out of the project in October 2005 and subsequently James Newton Howard replaced him. With scoring beginning by late-October 2005, Howard had only five weeks to work on the film, as a result, he found the film "hardest to compose". Recording sessions took place at the Sony Scoring Stage, California and Todd-AO, Los Angeles, consisting of 108-piece orchestra and 40-member choir, and consists varied range of instruments used.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The film's soundtrack includes Al Jolson's recording of "I'm Sitting on Top of the World", Peggy Lee's "Bye Bye Blackbird", and some themes from Max Steiner's soundtrack for the original 1933 film. The score was released on December 7, 2005 by Decca Records to positive response. Howard's score was later nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The marketing campaign started in full swing on June 27, 2005, when the teaser trailer made its debut, first online at the official Volkswagen website at 8:45 p.m. EDT, then 8:55 p.m. EDT across media outlets owned by NBCUniversal (the parent of Universal Studios), including NBC, Bravo!, CNBC, and MSNBC. That trailer appeared in theatres attached to "War of the Worlds", which opened on June 29.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Jackson also regularly published a series of 'Production Diaries', which chronicled the film's production. The diaries started shortly after the DVD release of "" as a way to give Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" fans a glimpse of his next project. These diaries are edited into broadband-friendly installments of three or four minutes each. They consist of features that would normally be seen in a making-of documentary: a tour of the set, a roving camera introducing key players behind the scene, a peek inside the sound booth during last-minute dubbing, or Andy Serkis doing his ape movements in a motion capture studio.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: A novelisation of the film and a prequel novel entitled "King Kong: The Island of the Skull" were also written. A multi-platform video game, entitled "Peter Jackson's King Kong", was released, which featured an alternate ending. There was also a hardback book entitled "", featuring artwork from Weta Workshop to describe the film's fictional wildlife.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Jackson has expressed his desire to remaster the film in 3-D at some point in the future. Jackson was also seen shooting with a 3-D camera at times during the shoot of "King Kong".


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: In North America, "King Kong" grossed $9,755,745 during its Wednesday opening and $50,130,145 over its first weekend for a five-day total of $66,181,645 from around 7,500 screens at 3,568 theaters. Some analysts considered these initial numbers disappointing, saying that studio executives had been expecting more. The film went on to gross $218,080,025 in the North American market and ended up in the top five highest-grossing films of the year there. The film grossed an additional $344,283,424 at the box office in other regions for a worldwide total of $562,363,449, which not only ranked it in the top five highest-grossing films of 2005 worldwide, but also helped the film bring back more than two-and-a-half times its production budget.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: During its home video release, "King Kong" sold over $100 million worth of DVDs in the largest six-day performance in Universal Studios history. "King Kong" sold more than 7.6 million DVDs, accumulating nearly $194 million worth of sales numbers in the North American market alone. As of June 25, 2006, "King Kong" has generated almost $38 million from DVD rental gross. In February 2006, TNT/TBS and ABC paid Universal Studios $26.5 million for the television rights to the film.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: "King Kong" received positive reviews from critics. On aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 267 reviews, with an average rating of 7.68/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Featuring state-of-the-art special effects, terrific performances, and a majestic sense of spectacle, Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong" is a potent epic that's faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: It was placed on the 'top ten' lists of several critics, with Roger Ebert giving it four stars, and listed it as 2005's eighth-best film. The film received four Academy Award nominations, for Visual Effects, Sound Mixing (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek), Sound Editing, and Production Design, winning all but the last. "Entertainment Weekly" called the depiction of Kong the most convincing computer-generated character in film in 2005. Some criticised the film for retaining racist stereotypes that had been present in the 1933 film, though it was not suggested that Jackson had done this intentionally. "King Kong" ranks 450th on "Empire" magazine's 2008 list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. "The Guardian" reviewer Peter Bradshaw said that it "certainly equals, and even exceeds, anything Jackson did in "Lord of the Rings"." However, Charlie Brooker, also of "The Guardian", gave a negative review in which he describes the film as "sixteen times more overblown and histrionic than necessary".


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: "King Kong" was released on DVD on March 28, 2006 in the United States and Canada. The three versions that came out are a single-disc fullscreen, a single-disc widescreen, and a two-disc 'Widescreen Special Edition'.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: A three-disc Deluxe Extended Edition was released on November 14, 2006 in the U.S., and on November 3 in Australia. Twelve minutes were reinserted into the film, and an additional forty minutes included with the rest of the special features. The film was spread onto the first two discs with commentary by Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens, and some featurettes on discs one and two, whilst the main special features are on disc three. Another set was released, including a WETA figurine of a bullet-ridden Kong scaling the Empire State Building, roaring at the Navy with Ann in hand. The extended film amounts to 200 total minutes.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: A special HD DVD version of "King Kong" was part of a promotional pack for the release of the external HD DVD Drive for the Xbox 360. The pack contained the HD DVD drive, the Universal Media Remote and "King Kong" on HD DVD. It was also available separately as a standard HD DVD. The film's theatrical and extended cuts were released together on Blu-ray Disc on January 20, 2009. A re-release of the Blu-Ray with a new bonus disc containing nearly all of the extras from the 2-disc Special Edition DVD, the Deluxe Extended Edition 3-disc DVD, and the "Peter Jackson's Production Diaries" 2-disc DVD titled the "Ultimate Edition" was released on February 7, 2017. An Ultra HD Blu-ray followed in July 2017.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: In March 2021, Adam Wingard said in an interview that back in 2013, Peter Jackson had been interested in producing a sequel to the film, titled "Skull Island", with Wingard as director and Simon Barrett writing it. Jackson had been impressed with Wingard's work in "You're Next", and investigated a potential sequel. However, the King Kong rights had already been transferred to Warner Bros. by 2013, which complicated a sequel to a Universal-produced movie. Wingard says that Jackson was thinking of setting the proposed movie during World War I, which would make it a prequel, but that the studio was uninterested in a World War I era film. Wingard pivoted to offering a modern day sequel, but ultimately nothing came of the proposal.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: Ultimately, Warner Bros. rebooted the franchise with "" in 2017, which was part of the MonsterVerse. Wingard would later direct 2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong", another film set in the MonsterVerse.


title: King Kong (2005 film)

text: The Universal Orlando Resort location Islands of Adventure features an attraction called "" which is based on Peter Jackson's remake. While the King Kong part of the Universal Studios Hollywood resort was destroyed by a massive fire, a 3D short inspired by the film was eventually created in 2010, "", which is another attraction based on Peter Jackson's remake.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in "", and as Captain Dylan Hunt in "Andromeda". Sorbo is also known for acting in the Christian drama films "God's Not Dead" and "Let There Be Light".


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958. He is of Norwegian descent. He was raised in a Lutheran family. Sorbo attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he double majored in marketing and advertising. To help pay for tuition, he began to work as a model for print and television advertising.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In the mid 1980s, Sorbo traveled around Europe and Australia working in television commercials and also modeled for print advertisements. By the early 1990s, he had appeared in over 150 commercials. One of the popular commercials he appeared in was for Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, known for Sorbo's repeated catchphrase "This ain't Jim Beam". He occasionally landed acting roles during this period and made his acting debut in an episode of the soap opera "Santa Barbara" in 1986. This was followed by guest appearances in television series such as "1st & Ten", "Murder She Wrote" and "The Commish". In 1992, he starred in an unsuccessful pilot for a medical drama series titled "Condition: Critical" which was not picked up but aired as a television film on ABC. He was considered for and lost out to Dean Cain as Superman in "" and was a possible contender for the role of Fox Mulder in "The X-Files" which went to David Duchovny. In 1993, he made his film debut playing a supporting role in "Slaughter of the Innocents".


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 1993, he received his breakthrough leading role as the Ancient Greek mythical demigod Hercules in a series of five television films which aired in 1994 as part of Universal Television's Action Pack. The first film to premiere was "Hercules and the Amazon Women" which aired in April 1994 and the subsequent films aired later in the year. The ratings success of the films paved the way for the commissioning of the television series "" which started airing in syndication from January 1995 and ran for six seasons. The series made Sorbo an international star and was one of the highest rated syndicated television shows at the time. Sorbo also directed two episodes of the series during its run and co-wrote one episode.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: The success of the show spawned the popular spin-off series "" starring Lucy Lawless, who was introduced in a three episode arc in the first season of "Hercules". This allowed several characters from both shows to make crossover appearances. Sorbo made his first of two appearances on "Xena" in the Season One episode "Prometheus" in 1995. In 1998, a spin-off direct-to-video animated film titled "" was released with both Sorbo and Lawless voicing the characters.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: "Hercules" was canceled midway through the filming of Season Six of which only eight episodes were produced and the final episode aired in November 1999. This was reportedly due to Sorbo declining to extend his contract to continue starring in the series for a further three years. Sorbo would go on to make his final appearance as Hercules on "Xena" in the episode "God Fearing Child" which aired in February 2000.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In between the years playing "Hercules", Sorbo played his first leading film role in "Kull the Conqueror" (1997). After "Hercules" came to an end, Sorbo played the starring role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the science-fiction drama series "Andromeda" from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, he played a recurring role on the final season of "The O.C." and guest-starred in the sitcom "Two and a Half Men". In 2007, he starred in the direct-to-video film "", which was a sequel to the 2004 film "Walking Tall". He reprised his role in the second sequel, "", which released later that year. He also starred in the Lifetime Channel film "Last Chance Café", the Hallmark Channel film "Avenging Angel", co-starring his real life wife Sam Jenkins and guest starred as a bounty hunter in the season-two episode "Bounty Hunters!" of the series "Psych". He appeared in the 2008 spoof film "Meet the Spartans", which was a box office success despite being universally negatively reviewed by critics. He starred in the Albert Pyun directed science fiction vampire film "Tales of an Ancient Empire".


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 2012, Sorbo appeared in an episode of "Celebrity Ghost Stories" to recount an experience he had while in Minnesota shortly after he graduated from college. He and his girlfriend claimed to have seen the ghost of the "Bride of White Rock Lake" – a woman who supposedly died on her wedding day, murdered by a former lover.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: Sorbo returned to the role of Hercules in a more sinister portrayal, in the video game "God of War III", which was released for the PlayStation 3 in March 2010.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In July 2013, Sorbo, along with his wife Sam, provided voice over for characters in the video game "Cloudberry Kingdom". In 2014, Sorbo co-starred in "God's Not Dead", a Christian film in which he portrayed an atheist college professor who requires his students to disown their religions on the first day of his class. He also voiced Crusher in the "Skylanders" franchise and Retro Hercules in "Smite".


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 2014 to 2016, Sorbo played wizard Gojun Pye in a series of five "" sword-and-sorcery fantasy movies.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 2017, Sorbo played the ill-fated King Lar Gand of Daxam on the CW series "Supergirl". He appeared opposite Teri Hatcher as his wife Queen Rhea—24 years earlier, they were almost cast opposite each other in "Lois and Clark" before Sorbo lost out to Dean Cain. Cain also appeared in the same series but did not share any scenes with them. That same year, he also directed and starred in the Christian drama film "Let There Be Light".


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: On January 5, 1998, Sorbo married actress Sam Sorbo (née Jenkins) whom he met the previous year when she had a small recurring role on "Hercules" (Season 3, Episode 8 "Prince Hercules"). They have three children: Braeden Cooper (born 2001), Shane Haaken (born 2004), and Octavia Flynn (born 2005). Sorbo is the spokesman and chair of A World Fit for Kids! (AWFFK!), a non-profit organization that trains teenagers to become mentors to younger children.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 2001, Sorbo was featured on a celebrity edition of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", winning $32,000; the money was donated to his charity, A World Fit For Kids.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In late 1997, while on a publicity tour for "Kull the Conqueror" and between the fourth and fifth seasons of "Hercules", the newly engaged Sorbo experienced an aneurysm in his shoulder which caused three strokes. As a result, he was weakened for the next several years, a condition kept secret from the public while he recovered. During the last two seasons of "Hercules" (the fifth and sixth, which aired in 1998 and 1999), Sorbo had a reduced filming schedule to accommodate his condition, and more guest stars were featured in the show in order to reduce Sorbo's duties. The strokes, thought to be triggered when chiropractic manipulation of his shoulder released blood clots from the aneurysm, left Sorbo with a permanent 10 percent vision loss, weakness, impaired balance, and migraines. In his 2011 autobiography "True Strength", Sorbo revealed the details of his injury and how his wife Sam helped him recover.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 2013, Sorbo received the Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation for his efforts raising awareness about stroke. He also received the 2013 Inspiration Honors Award from the Invisible Disabilities Association.


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: Sorbo is a Christian and attends a nondenominational church, though he grew up as a Lutheran. Sorbo claims that his religious views have caused certain restrictions in Hollywood productions, stating that "there's a negativity towards Christians in Hollywood, and a negativity towards people who believe in God."


title: Kevin Sorbo

text: In 2014, during an interview with Jerry Newcombe on the radio show "Vocal Point", Sorbo defended Mel Gibson against allegations that his 2004 film, "The Passion of the Christ", was anti-Semitic with the words: "News bulletin: you did kill Jesus!" Sorbo later stated he could have rephrased his statements, but defended his stance.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped belt about long and up to about wide.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire includes the Pacific coasts of South America, North America and Kamchatka, and some islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Although there is consensus among geologists about almost all areas which are included in the Ring of Fire, they disagree about the inclusion or exclusion of a few areas, for example, the Antarctic Peninsula and western Indonesia.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire is a direct result of plate tectonics: specifically the movement, collision and destruction of lithospheric plates (e.g. the Pacific Plate) under and around the Pacific Ocean. The collisions have created a nearly continuous series of subduction zones, where volcanoes are created and earthquakes occur. Consumption of oceanic lithosphere at these convergent plate boundaries has formed oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, back-arc basins and volcanic belts.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire is not a single geological structure. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in each part of the Ring of Fire occur independently of eruptions and earthquakes in the other parts of the Ring.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire contains approximately 750–915 volcanoes (about two-thirds of the world's total) that have been active during the Holocene. The four largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in the Holocene epoch all occurred at volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. More than 350 of the Ring of Fire's volcanoes have been active in historical times.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Beside and among the currently active and dormant volcanoes of the Ring of Fire are belts of older extinct volcanoes, which were formed long ago by subduction in the same way as the currently active and dormant volcanoes; the extinct volcanoes last erupted many thousands or millions of years ago. The Ring of Fire has existed for more than 35 million years but subduction has existed for much longer in some parts of the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Most of Earth's active volcanoes with summits above sea level are located in the Ring of Fire. Many of these subaerial volcanoes are stratovolcanoes (e.g. Mount St Helens), which are formed by explosive eruptions of tephra, alternating with effusive eruptions of lava flows. Lavas at the Ring of Fire's stratovolcanoes are mainly andesite and basaltic andesite but dacite, rhyolite, basalt and some other rarer types also occur. Other types of volcano are also found in the Ring of Fire, such as subaerial shield volcanoes (e.g. Plosky Tolbachik), and submarine seamounts (e.g. Monowai).


title: Ring of Fire

text: The world's highest active volcano is Ojos del Salado (), which is in the Andes Mountains section of the Ring of Fire. It forms part of the border between Argentina and Chile and it last erupted in AD 750. Another Ring of Fire Andean volcano on the Argentina-Chile border is Llullaillaco (), which is the world's highest historically active volcano, last erupting in 1877.


title: Ring of Fire

text: About 90% of the Earth's earthquakes and about 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: From Ancient Greek and Roman times until the late 18th century, volcanoes were associated with fire, based on the ancient belief that volcanoes were caused by fires burning within the Earth. This historical link between volcanoes and fire is preserved in the name of the Ring of Fire, despite the fact that volcanoes do "not" burn the Earth with fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The existence of a belt of volcanic activity around the Pacific Ocean was known in the early 19th century; for example, in 1825 the pioneering volcanologist G.P. Scrope described the chains of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean's rim in his book ""Considerations on Volcanos"". Three decades later, a book about the Perry Expedition to Japan commented on the Ring of Fire volcanoes as follows: "They [the Japanese Islands] are in the line of that immense circle of volcanic development which surrounds the shores of the Pacific from Tierra del Fuego around to the Moluccas." ("Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, 1852–54"). An article appeared in Scientific American in 1878 with the title ""The Ring of Fire, and the Volcanic Peaks of the West Coast of the United States"", which outlined the phenomenon of volcanic activity around the boundaries of the Pacific.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Early explicit references to volcanoes forming a "ring of fire" around the Pacific Ocean include Alexander P. Livingstone's book ""Complete Story of San Francisco's Terrible Calamity of Earthquake and Fire"", published in 1906, in which he describes "... the great ring of fire which circles round the whole surface of the Pacific Ocean.".


title: Ring of Fire

text: In 1912, geologist Patrick Marshall introduced the term "Andesite Line" to mark a boundary between islands in the southwest Pacific, which differ in volcano structure and lava types. The concept was later extended to other parts of the Pacific Ocean. The Andesite Line and the Ring of Fire closely match in terms of location.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The development of the theory of plate tectonics since the early 1960s has provided the current understanding and explanation of the global distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes, including those in the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: There is consensus among geologists about most of the regions which are included in the Ring of Fire. There are, however, a few regions on which there is no universal agreement. (See: ). Indonesia lies at the intersection of the Ring of Fire and the Alpide belt (which is the Earth's other very long subduction-related volcanic and earthquake zone, also known as the Mediterranean–Indonesian volcanic belt, running east–west through southern Asia and southern Europe). Some geologists include all of Indonesia in the Ring of Fire; many geologists exclude Indonesia's western islands (which they include in the Alpide belt).


title: Ring of Fire

text: Some geologists include the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands in the Ring of Fire, other geologists exclude these areas. The rest of Antarctica is excluded because the volcanism there is not related to subduction.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire does not extend through the southern Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and the Antarctic Peninsula or the southern tip of South America because the submarine plate boundaries in this part of the Pacific Ocean (the Pacific–Antarctic Ridge, the East Pacific Rise and the Chile Ridge) are divergent instead of convergent. Although some volcanism occurs in this region, it is not related to subduction.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Some geologists include the Izu Islands, the Bonin Islands, and the Mariana Islands, other geologists exclude them.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Volcanoes in the central parts of the Pacific Basin, for example the Hawaiian Islands, are very far from subduction zones and they are not part of the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Ring of Fire has existed for more than 35 million years. In some parts of the Ring of Fire, subduction has been occurring for much longer.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The current configuration of the Pacific Ring of Fire has been created by the development of the present-day subduction zones, initially (by about 115 million years ago) in South America, North America and Asia. As plate configurations gradually changed, the current subduction zones of Indonesia and New Guinea were created (about 70 million years ago), followed finally by the New Zealand subduction zone (about 35 million years ago).


title: Ring of Fire

text: Along the coast of east Asia, during the Late Triassic about 210 million years ago, subduction of the Izanagi Plate (the Paleo-Pacific Plate) was occurring, and this continued in the Jurassic, producing volcanic belts, for example, in what is now eastern China.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Pacific Plate came into existence in the Early Jurassic about 190 million years ago, far from the margins of the then Paleo-Pacific Ocean. Until the Pacific Plate grew large enough to reach the margins of the ocean basin, other older plates were subducted ahead of it at the ocean basin margins. For example, subduction has been occurring at the coast of South America since the Jurassic Period more than 145 million years ago, and remnants of Jurassic and Cretaceous volcanic arcs are preserved there.


title: Ring of Fire

text: At about 120 to 115 million years ago, the Farallon Plate was subducting under South America, North America and north-east Asia while the Izanagi Plate was subducting under east Asia. By 85 to 70 million years ago, the Izanagi Plate had moved north-eastwards and was subducting under east Asia and North America, while the Farallon Plate was subducting under South America and the Pacific Plate was subducting under east Asia. About 70 to 65 million years ago, the Farallon plate was subducting under South America, the Kula Plate was subducting under North America and north-east Asia, and the Pacific Plate was subducting under east Asia and Papua New Guinea. About 35 million years ago, the Kula and Farallon plates had been subducted and the Pacific Plate was subducting around its rim in a configuration closely resembling the outline of the present-day Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The eastern parts of the Ring of Fire result from the collision of a few relatively large plates. The western parts of the Ring are more complex, with a number of large and small tectonic plates in collision.


title: Ring of Fire

text: In South America, the Ring of Fire is the result of the Antarctic Plate, the Nazca Plate and the Cocos Plate being subducted beneath the South American Plate. In Central America, the Cocos Plate is being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate. A portion of the Pacific Plate and the small Juan de Fuca Plate are being subducted beneath the North American Plate. Along the northern portion, the northwestward-moving Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath the Aleutian Islands arc. Farther west, the Pacific Plate is being subducted at the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril arcs. Farther south, at Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, the Philippine Plate is being subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate. The southwest section of the Ring of Fire is more complex, with a number of smaller tectonic plates in collision with the Pacific Plate at the Mariana Islands, the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and New Zealand; this part of the Ring excludes Australia, because it lies in the center of its tectonic plate far from subduction zones.


title: Ring of Fire

text: If a tectonic plate's oceanic lithosphere is subducted beneath oceanic lithosphere of another plate, a volcanic island arc is created at the subduction zone. An example in the Ring of Fire is the Mariana Arc in the western Pacific Ocean. If, however, oceanic lithosphere is subducted under continental lithosphere, then a volcanic continental arc forms; a Ring of Fire example is the coast of Chile.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The steepness of the descending plate at a subduction zone depends on the age of the oceanic lithosphere that is being subducted. The older the oceanic lithosphere being subducted, the steeper the angle of descent of the subducted slab. As the Pacific's mid-ocean ridges, which are the source of its the oceanic lithosphere, are not actually in the middle of the ocean but located much closer to South America than to Asia, the oceanic lithosphere consumed at the South American subduction zones is younger and therefore subduction occurs at the South American coast at a relatively shallow angle. Older oceanic lithosphere is subducted in the western Pacific, with steeper angles of slab descent. This variation affects, for example, the location of volcanoes relative to the ocean trench, lava composition, type and severity of earthquakes, sediment accretion, and the amount of compression or tension. A spectrum of subduction zones exists between the Chilean and Mariana end members.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Oceanic trenches are the topographic expression of subduction zones on the floor of the oceans. Oceanic trenches associated with the Ring of Fire's subduction zones are:


title: Ring of Fire

text: Subduction zones around the Pacific Ocean do not form a complete ring. Where subduction zones are absent, there are corresponding gaps in subduction-related volcanic belts in the Ring of Fire. In some gaps there is no volcanic activity; in other gaps, volcanic activity does occur but it is caused by processes not related to subduction.


title: Ring of Fire

text: There are gaps in the Ring of Fire at some parts of the Pacific coast of the Americas. In some places, the gaps are thought to be caused by flat slab subduction; examples are the three gaps between the four sections of the Andean Volcanic Belt in South America. In North America, there is a gap in subduction-related volcanic activity in northern Mexico and southern California, due partly to a divergent boundary in the Gulf of California and due partly to the San Andreas Fault (a non-volcanic transform boundary). Another North American gap in subduction-related volcanic activity occurs in northern British Columbia, Yukon and south-east Alaska, where volcanism is caused by intraplate continental rifting.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The four largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years) occurred at volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. They are the eruptions at Fisher Caldera (Alaska, 8700 BC), Kuril Lake (Kamchatka, 6450 BC), Kikai Caldera (Japan, 5480 BC) and Mount Mazama (Oregon, 5677 BC). More broadly, twenty of the twenty-five largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in this time interval occurred at Ring of Fire volcanoes.


title: Ring of Fire

text: About 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. The next most seismically active region (5–6% of earthquakes and 17% of the world's largest earthquakes) is the Alpide belt, which extends from central Indonesia to the northern Atlantic Ocean via the Himalayas and southern Europe.


title: Ring of Fire

text: From 1900 to the end of 2020, most earthquakes of magnitude ≥ 8.0 occurred in the Ring of Fire. They are presumed to have been megathrust earthquakes at subduction zones, including four of the most powerful earthquakes on Earth since modern seismological measuring equipment and magnitude measurement scales were introduced in the 1930s:


title: Ring of Fire

text: Some geologists include the volcanoes of the South Shetland Islands, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, as part of the Ring of Fire. These volcanoes, e.g. Deception Island, are due to rifting in the Bransfield back-arc basin close to the South Shetland subduction zone. The Antarctic Peninsula (Graham Land) is also sometimes included in the Ring. Volcanoes south of the Antarctic Circle (e.g. the volcanoes of Victoria Land including Mount Erebus, and the volcanoes of Mary Byrd Land) are not related to subduction; therefore, they are not part of the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Balleny Islands, located between Antarctica and New Zealand, are volcanic but their volcanism is not related to subduction; therefore, they are not part of the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes, rising above the lake and town of the same name. It is the westernmost of three large stratovolcanoes that trend perpendicular to the Andes along the Gastre Fault. Villarrica, along with Quetrupillán and the Chilean part of Lanín, are protected within Villarrica National Park.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Villarrica, with its lava of basaltic-andesitic composition, is one of only five volcanoes worldwide known to have an active lava lake within its crater. The volcano usually generates strombolian eruptions, with ejection of incandescent pyroclasts and lava flows. Melting of snow and glacier ice, as well as rainfall, often causes lahars, such as during the eruptions of 1964 and 1971.


title: Ring of Fire

text: A postglacial caldera is located at the base of the presently active dominantly basaltic-to-andesitic cone at the northwest margin of the Pleistocene caldera. About 25 scoria cones dot Villarica's flanks. Plinian eruptions and pyroclastic flows have been produced during the Holocene from this dominantly basaltic volcano, but historical eruptions have consisted of largely mild-to-moderate explosive activity with occasional lava effusion. Lahars from the glacier-covered volcanoes have damaged towns on its flanks.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Llaima Volcano is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Chile. It is situated northeast of Temuco and southeast of Santiago, within the borders of Conguillío National Park. Llaima's activity has been documented since the 17th century, and consists of several separate episodes of moderate explosive eruptions with occasional lava flows.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Lascar is a stratovolcano and the most active volcano of the northern Chilean Andes. The largest eruption of Lascar took place about 26,500 years ago, and following the eruption of the Tumbres scoria flow about 9,000 years ago, activity shifted back to the eastern edifice, where three overlapping craters were formed. Frequent small-to-moderate explosive eruptions have been recorded from Lascar in historical time since the mid-19th century, along with periodic larger eruptions that produced ash and tephra fall up to hundreds of kilometers away from the volcano. The largest eruption of Lascar in recent history took place in 1993, producing pyroclastic flows as far as northwest of the summit and ash fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina, more than to the southeast. The latest series of eruptions began on April 18, 2006 and was continuing as of 2011.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Chiliques is a stratovolcano located in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, immediately north of Cerro Miscanti. Laguna Lejía lies to the north of the volcano and has been dormant for at least 10,000 years, but is now showing signs of life. A January 6, 2002, nighttime thermal infrared image from ASTER revealed a hot spot in the summit crater, as well as several others along the upper flanks of the volcano's edifice, indicating new volcanic activity. Examination of an earlier nighttime thermal infrared image from May 24, 2000, showed no such hot spots.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Calbuco is a stratovolcano in southern Chile, located southeast of Llanquihue Lake and northwest of Chapo Lake, in Los Lagos Region. The volcano and the surrounding area are protected within Llanquihue National Reserve. It is a very explosive andesite volcano that underwent edifice collapse in the late Pleistocene, producing a volcanic debris avalanche that reached the lake. At least nine eruptions occurred since 1837, with the latest one in 1972. One of the largest historical eruptions in southern Chile took place there in 1893–1894. Violent eruptions ejected bombs to distances of from the crater, accompanied by voluminous hot lahars. Strong explosions occurred in April 1917, and a lava dome formed in the crater accompanied by hot lahars. Another short explosive eruption in January 1929 also included an apparent pyroclastic flow and a lava flow. The last major eruption of Calbuco, in 1961, sent ash columns high and produced plumes that dispersed mainly to the southeast and two lava flows were also emitted. A minor, four-hour eruption happened on August 26, 1972. Strong fumarolic emission from the main crater was observed on August 12, 1996.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Lonquimay is a stratovolocano of late-Pleistocene to dominantly Holocene age, with the shape of a truncated cone. The cone is largely andesitic, though basaltic and dacitic rocks are present. It is located in La Araucanía Region of Chile, immediately southeast of Tolhuaca volcano. Sierra Nevada and Llaima are their neighbors to the south. The snow-capped volcano lies within the protected area Malalcahuello-Nalcas. The volcano last erupted in 1988, ending in 1990. The VEI was 3. The eruption was from a flank vent and involved lava flows and explosive eruptions. Some fatalities occurred.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Earthquake activity in Chile is related to subduction of the Nazca Plate to the east. Chile notably holds the record for the largest earthquake ever recorded, the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. More recently, a magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck central Chile on February 27, 2010, the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano erupted in 2011, and a M8.2 earthquake struck northern Chile on April 1, 2014. The main shock was preceded by a number of moderate to large shocks and was followed by a large number of moderate to very large aftershocks, including a magnitude-7.6 event on April 2.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Bolivia hosts active and extinct volcanoes across its territory. The active volcanoes are located in western Bolivia where they make up the Cordillera Occidental, the western limit of the Altiplano plateau. Some of the active volcanoes are international mountains shared with Chile. All Cenozoic volcanoes of Bolivia are part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andean Volcanic Belt that results due to processes involved in the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate. The Central Volcanic Zone is a major late Cenozoic volcanic province.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Sabancaya is an active stratovolcano in the Andes of southern Peru, about northwest of Arequipa. It is the most active volcano in Peru, with an ongoing eruption that started in 2016.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes, located about south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second-highest summit in the country, reaching a height of . Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by mudflows around the volcano.


title: Ring of Fire

text: In October 1999, Pichincha Volcano erupted in Quito and covered the city with several inches of ash. Prior to that, the last major eruptions were in 1553 and in 1660, when about 30 cm of ash fell on the city.


title: Ring of Fire

text: At , Sangay Volcano is an active stratovolcano in central Ecuador, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. It exhibits mostly strombolian activity; An eruption, which started in 1934, ended in 2011. More recent eruptions have occurred. Geologically, Sangay marks the southern bound of the Northern Volcanic Zone, and its position straddling two major pieces of crust accounts for its high level of activity. Sangay's roughly 500,000-year history is one of instability; two previous versions of the mountain were destroyed in massive flank collapses, evidence of which still litters its surroundings today. Sangay is one of two active volcanoes located within the namesake Sangay National Park, the other being Tungurahua to the north. As such, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Reventador is an active stratovolcano that lies in the eastern Andes of Ecuador. Since 1541, it has erupted over 25 times, with its most recent eruption starting in 2008 and, , still ongoing, but the largest historical eruption occurred in 2002. During that eruption, the plume from the volcano reached a height of , and pyroclastic flows reached from the cone. On March 30, 2007, the volcano erupted ash again, which reached a height of about .


title: Ring of Fire

text: Poás Volcano is an active stratovolcano located in central Costa Rica; it has erupted 39 times since 1828.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI, "Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica") at the National University of Costa Rica has a dedicated team in charge of researching and monitoring the volcanoes, earthquakes, and other tectonic processes in the Central America Volcanic Arc.


title: Ring of Fire

text: In 1902, the Santa Maria Volcano erupted violently in Guatemala, with the largest explosions occurring over two days, ejecting an estimated of magma. The eruption was one of the largest of the 20th century, only slightly less in magnitude to that of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The eruption had a volcanic explosivity index of 6. Today, Santiaguito is one of the world's most active volcanoes.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Volcanoes of Mexico related to subduction of the Cocos and Rivera plates occur in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which extends from west to east across central-southern Mexico. Popocatépetl, lying in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, is the second-highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, having had more than 20 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. The 1982 eruption of El Chichón, which killed about 2,000 people who lived near the volcano, created a 1-km-wide caldera that filled with an acidic crater lake. Before 1982, this relatively unknown volcano was heavily forested and of no greater height than adjacent nonvolcanic peaks.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Cascade Volcanic Arc lies in the western United States. This arc includes nearly 20 major volcanoes, among a total of over 4,000 separate volcanic vents including numerous stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, lava domes, and cinder cones, along with a few isolated examples of rarer volcanic forms such as tuyas. Volcanism in the arc began about 37 million years ago, but most of the present-day Cascade volcanoes are less than 2 million years old, and the highest peaks are less than 100,000 years old. The arc is formed by the subduction of the Gorda and Juan de Fuca plates at the Cascadia subduction zone. This is a fault, running off the coast of the Pacific Northwest from northern California to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The plates move at a relative rate of over per year at an oblique angle to the subduction zone.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Because of the very large fault area, the Cascadia subduction zone can produce very large earthquakes, magnitude 9.0 or greater, if rupture occurred over its whole area. When the "locked" zone stores energy for an earthquake, the "transition" zone, although somewhat plastic, can rupture. Thermal and deformation studies indicate that the locked zone is fully locked for down-dip from the deformation front. Further down-dip, a transition from fully locked to aseismic sliding occurs.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Unlike most subduction zones worldwide, no oceanic trench is present along the continental margin in Cascadia. Instead, terranes and the accretionary wedge have been lifted up to form a series of coast ranges and exotic mountains. A high rate of sedimentation from the outflow of the three major rivers (Fraser River, Columbia River, and Klamath River) which cross the Cascade Range contributes to further obscuring the presence of a trench. However, in common with most other subduction zones, the outer margin is slowly being compressed, similar to a giant spring. When the stored energy is suddenly released by slippage across the fault at irregular intervals, the Cascadia subduction zone can create very large earthquakes such as the magnitude-9 Cascadia earthquake of 1700. Geological evidence indicates that great earthquakes may have occurred at least seven times in the last 3,500 years, suggesting a return time of 400 to 600 years. Also, evidence of accompanying tsunamis with every earthquake is seen, as the prime reason these earthquakes are known is through "scars" the tsunamis left on the coast, and through Japanese records (tsunami waves can travel across the Pacific).


title: Ring of Fire

text: The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was the most significant to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states in recorded history (VEI = 5, of material erupted), exceeding the destructive power and volume of material released by the 1915 eruption of California's Lassen Peak. The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes caused by an injection of magma at shallow depth below the mountain that created a huge bulge and a fracture system on Mount St. Helens' north slope. An earthquake at 8:32 am on May 18, 1980, caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, suddenly exposing the partly molten, gas-rich rock in the volcano to lower pressure. The rock responded by exploding into a very hot mix of pulverized lava and older rock that sped toward Spirit Lake so fast that it quickly passed the avalanching north face.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Alaska is known for its seismic and volcanic activity, holding the record for the second-largest earthquake in the world, the Good Friday earthquake, and having more than 50 volcanoes which have erupted since about 1760. Volcanoes are found not only in the mainland, but also in the Aleutian Islands.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The United States Geological Survey and the National Earthquake Information Center monitor volcanoes and earthquakes in the United States.


title: Ring of Fire

text: British Columbia and Yukon are home to a region of volcanoes and volcanic activity in the Pacific Ring of Fire. More than 20 volcanoes have erupted in the western Canada during the Holocene Epoch but only 6 are directly related to subduction: Bridge River Cones, Mount Cayley, Mount Garibaldi, Garibaldi Lake, Silverthrone Caldera, and Mount Meager massif. Several mountains in populated areas of British Columbia are dormant volcanoes. Most of these were active during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Although none of Canada's volcanoes are currently erupting, several volcanoes, volcanic fields, and volcanic centers are considered potentially active. There are hot springs at some volcanoes. Since 1975, seismic activity appears to have been associated with some volcanoes in British Columbia including the six subduction-related volcanoes as well as intraplate volcanoes such as Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field. The volcanoes are grouped into five volcanic belts with different tectonic settings.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province is an area of numerous volcanoes, which are caused by continental rifting not subduction; therefore geologists often regard it as a gap in the Pacific Ring of Fire between the Cascade Volcanic Arc further south and Alaska's Aleutian Arc further north.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt in southwestern British Columbia is the northern extension of the Cascade Volcanic Arc in the United States (which includes Mount Baker and Mount St. Helens) and contains the most explosive young volcanoes in Canada. It formed as a result of subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate (a remnant of the much larger Farallon Plate) under the North American Plate along the Cascadia subduction zone. The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt includes the Bridge River Cones, Mount Cayley, Mount Fee, Mount Garibaldi, Mount Price, Mount Meager massif, the Squamish Volcanic Field, and more smaller volcanoes. The eruption styles in the belt range from effusive to explosive, with compositions from basalt to rhyolite. Morphologically, centers include calderas, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes and small isolated lava masses. Due to repeated continental and alpine glaciations, many of the volcanic deposits in the belt reflect complex interactions between magma composition, topography, and changing ice configurations. The most recent major catastrophic eruption in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt was an explosive eruption of the Mount Meager massif about 2,350 years ago. It was similar to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, sending an ash column about 20 km into the stratosphere.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Chilcotin Group is a north–south range of volcanoes in southern British Columbia running parallel to the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. The majority of the eruptions in this belt happened either 6–10 million years ago (Miocene) or 2–3 million years ago (Pliocene), although with some slightly more recent eruptions (in the Pleistocene). It is thought to have formed as a result of back-arc extension behind the Cascadia subduction zone. Volcanoes in this belt include Mount Noel, the Clisbako Caldera Complex, Lightning Peak, Black Dome Mountain, and many lava flows.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Eruptions of basaltic to rhyolitic volcanoes and hypabyssal rocks of the Alert Bay Volcanic Belt in northern Vancouver Island are probably linked with the subducted margin flanked by the Explorer and Juan de Fuca Plates at the Cascadia subduction zone. It appears to have been active during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. However, no Holocene eruptions are known, and volcanic activity in the belt has likely ceased.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The active Queen Charlotte Fault on the west coast of the Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, has generated three large earthquakes during the 20th century: a magnitude 7 event in 1929; a magnitude 8.1 in 1949 (Canada's largest recorded earthquake); and a magnitude 7.4 in 1970.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Public Safety Geo-science Program at the Natural Resources Canada undertakes research to support risk reduction from the effects of space weather, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East is one of the most active volcanic areas in the world, with 20 historically active volcanoes. It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Okhotsk Sea to the west. Immediately offshore along the Pacific coast of the peninsula runs the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, where subduction of the Pacific Plate fuels the volcanism. Several types of volcanic activity are present, including stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, Hawaiian-style fissure eruptions and geysers.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Active, dormant and extinct volcanoes of Kamchatka are in two major volcanic belts. The most recent activity takes place in the eastern belt, starting in the north at the Shiveluch volcanic complex, which lies at the junction of the Aleutian and Kamchatka volcanic arcs. Just to the south is the Klyuchi volcanic group, comprising the twin volcanic cones of Kliuchevskoi and Kamen, the volcanic complexes of Tolbachik and Ushkovsky, and a number of other large stratovolcanoes. Ichinsky, the only active volcano in the central belt, is located farther to the west. Farther south, the eastern belt of stratovolcanoes continues to the southern tip of Kamchatka, continuing onto the Kuril Islands, with their 32 historically active volcanoes.


title: Ring of Fire

text: About 10% of the world's active volcanoes are found in Japan, which lies in a zone of extreme crustal instability. They are formed by subduction of the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. As many as 1,500 earthquakes are recorded yearly, and magnitudes of 4 to 6 are not uncommon. Minor tremors occur almost daily in one part of the country or another, causing some slight shaking of buildings. Major earthquakes occur infrequently; the most famous in the 20th century were: the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, in which 130,000 people died; and the Great Hanshin earthquake of January 17, 1995, in which 6,434 people died. On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Japan, the country's biggest ever and the fifth largest on record, according to US Geological Survey data. Undersea earthquakes also expose the Japanese coastline to danger from tsunamis.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Mount Bandai, one of Japan's most noted volcanoes, rises above the north shore of Lake Inawashiro. Mount Bandai is formed of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, the largest of which is O-Bandai, constructed within a horseshoe-shaped caldera that formed about 40,000 years ago when an earlier volcano collapsed, forming the Okinajima debris avalanche, which traveled to the southwest and was accompanied by a plinian eruption. Four major phreatic eruptions have occurred during the past 5,000 years, two of them in historical time, in 806 and 1888. Seen from the south, Bandai presents a conical profile, but much of the north side of the volcano is missing as a result of the collapse of Ko-Bandai volcano during the 1888 eruption, in which a debris avalanche buried several villages and formed several large lakes. In July 1888, the north flank of Mount Bandai collapsed during an eruption quite similar to the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens. After a week of seismic activity, a large earthquake on July 15, 1888, was followed by a tremendous noise and a large explosion. Eyewitnesses heard about 15 to 20 additional explosions and observed that the last one was projected almost horizontally to the north.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Mount Fuji is Japan's highest and most noted volcano, featuring heavily in Japanese culture and serving as one of the country's most popular landmarks. The modern postglacial stratovolcano is constructed above a group of overlapping volcanoes, remnants of which form irregularities on Fuji's profile. Growth of the younger Mount Fuji began with a period of voluminous lava flows from 11,000 to 8,000 years ago, accounting for four-fifths of the volume of the younger Mount Fuji. Minor explosive eruptions dominated activity from 8,000 to 4,500 years ago, with another period of major lava flows occurring from 4,500 to 3,000 years ago. Subsequently, intermittent major explosive eruptions occurred, with subordinate lava flows and small pyroclastic flows. Summit eruptions dominated from 3,000 to 2,000 years ago, after which flank vents were active. The extensive basaltic lava flows from the summit and some of the more than 100 flank cones and vents blocked drainage against the Tertiary Misaka Mountains on the north side of the volcano, forming the Fuji Five Lakes. The last eruption of this dominantly basaltic volcano in 1707 ejected andesitic pumice and formed a large new crater on the east flank. Some minor volcanic activity may occur in the next few years.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo is the world's second-largest eruption of the 20th century. Successful predictions of the onset of the climactic eruption led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas, saving many lives, but as the surrounding areas were severely damaged by pyroclastic flows, ash deposits, and later, lahars caused by rainwater remobilising earlier volcanic deposits, thousands of houses were destroyed.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Mayon Volcano is the Philippines' most active volcano. It has steep upper slopes that average 35–40° and is capped by a small summit crater. The historical eruptions of this basaltic-andesitic volcano date back to 1616 and range from Strombolian to basaltic Plinian eruptions. Eruptions occur predominately from the central conduit and have also produced lava flows that travel far down the flanks. Pyroclastic flows and mudflows have commonly swept down many of the roughly 40 ravines that radiate from the summit and have often devastated populated lowland areas.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Taal Volcano has had 33 recorded eruptions since 1572. A devastating eruption occurred in 1911, which claimed more than a thousand lives. The deposits of that eruption consist of a yellowish, fairly decomposed (nonjuvenile) tephra with a high sulfur content. The most recent period of activity lasted from 1965 to 1977, and was characterized by the interaction of magma with the lake water, which produced violent phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions. The volcano was dormant from 1977 then showed signs of unrest since 1991 with strong seismic activity and ground-fracturing events, as well as the formation of small mud geysers on parts of the island. An eruption occurred in January 2020.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Kanlaon Volcano, the most active volcano in the central Philippines, has erupted 25 times since 1866. Eruptions are typically phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor ash falls near the volcano. On August 10, 1996, Kanlaon erupted without warning, killing 3 persons who were among 24 mountain climbers trapped near the summit.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Indonesia is located where the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean meets the Alpide belt (which runs from Southeast Asia to Southwest Europe).


title: Ring of Fire

text: The eastern islands of Indonesia (Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands (excluding Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Sangeang), Halmahera, the Banda Islands and the Sangihe Islands) are geologically associated with subduction of the Pacific Plate or its related minor plates and, therefore, the eastern islands are often regarded as part of the Ring of Fire.


title: Ring of Fire

text: The western islands of Indonesia (the Sunda Arc of Sumatra, Krakatoa, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Sangeang) are located north of a subduction zone in the Indian Ocean. Although news media, popular science publications and some geologists include the western islands (and their notable volcanoes such as Krakatoa, Merapi, Tambora and Toba) in the Ring of Fire, geologists often exclude the western islands from the Ring; instead the western islands are often included in the Alpide belt.


title: Ring of Fire

text: New Zealand contains the world's strongest concentration of youthful rhyolitic volcanoes, and voluminous sheets of tuff blanket much of the North Island. The earliest historically-dated eruption was at Whakaari/White Island in 1826, followed in 1886 by the country's largest historical eruption at Mount Tarawera. Much of the region north of New Zealand's North Island is made up of seamounts and small islands, including 16 submarine volcanoes. In the last 1.6 million years, most of New Zealand's volcanism is from the Taupō Volcanic Zone.


title: Ring of Fire

text: Mount Ruapehu, at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone, is one of the most active volcanoes in New Zealand. It began erupting at least 250,000 years ago. In recorded history, major eruptions have been about 50 years apart, in 1895, 1945, and 1995–1996. Minor eruptions are frequent, with at least 60 since 1945. Some of the minor eruptions in the 1970s generated small ash falls and lahars that damaged ski fields. Between major eruptions, a warm acidic crater lake forms, fed by melting snow. Major eruptions may completely expel the lake water. Where a major eruption has deposited a tephra dam across the lake's outlet, the dam may collapse after the lake has refilled and risen above the level of its normal outlet, the outrush of water causing a large lahar. The most notable lahar caused the Tangiwai disaster on December 24, 1953, when 151 people aboard a Wellington to Auckland express train were killed after the lahar destroyed the Tangiwai rail bridge just moments before the train was due. In 2000, the ERLAWS system was installed on the mountain to detect such a collapse and alert the relevant authorities.