Tectonic plates are the big pieces of the Earth’s crust. Tectonic plates are constantly shifting which can cause movement on the surface of the Earth. Vancouver Island and the City of Victoria is on the West edge of the North American plate. The Juan De Fuca plate is West of the North American plate. The Juan De Fuca plate is slowly sliding under the North American plate. By being near the edge of a plate both Victoria and Vancouver Island have a higher chance of experiencing earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity.
When the plates grind against each other it causes the ground to shift, creating earthquakes and possibly causing great damage and harm.
A tsunami is a giant wave. Tsunamis are caused by movements in the earths crust. This means they can sometimes be caused by earthquakes. Tsunamis are only dangerous to areas near the coast. A tsunami could take out a whole town.
Vancouver Island is also in the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is an area around the edge of the Pacific plate with lots of earthquakes and volcanoes. Since Victoria is close to the pacific plate it is part of the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire contains fifteen countries including Indonesia, New Zealand, Papa New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, United States, Chile, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Peru, Solomon Islands, Mexico, and Antarctica. All above sea level volcanoes are currently dormant. Most activity in volcanoes near Victoria occurs underwater.
