Final answer:
The Ring of Fire is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity caused by the movements and interactions of tectonic plates around the Pacific Ocean. This zone has created most of the world's volcanoes and is responsible for many earthquakes, affecting regions such as the United States and New Zealand.
Step-by-step explanation:
The location surrounding the Pacific Ocean is known as the Ring of Fire because it is an area where frequent shifts of tectonic plates cause significant earthquake and volcanic activity. The Pacific tectonic plate meets numerous other plates along this belt, leading to the formation of earthquakes and the creation of a high number of volcanoes.
In the United States, examples of concern related to the Ring of Fire include the San Andreas Fault in California and Mount St. Helens in Washington. The lateral movement of the tectonic plates also creates geographical features like the South Alps in New Zealand, which is situated along the edge of the Ring of Fire. This zone encircles the Pacific Ocean basin, and it's responsible for most of the world's earthquakes and has formed more than 75 percent of the world's volcanoes.