Our Earth is a dynamic planet, as clearly illustrated on the main map by its topography, over 1,500 volcanoes, 44,000 earthquakes, and 170 impact craters. These features largely reflect the movements of Earth’s major tectonic plates and many smaller plates or fragments of plates including microplates. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are aweinspiring displays of the powerful forces of nature and can be extraordinarily destructive. On average, about 60 of Earths 550 historically active volcanoes are in eruption each year. In 2004 alone, over 160 earthquakes were magnitude 6.0 or above, some of which caused casualties and substantial damage.

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