'Pacific Ring of Fire' on high alert as tsunami devastates Japan

Tsunami warnings have been issued in most of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire' countries on Friday after a powerful earthquake jolted Japan's Fukushima prefecture.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii, countries like Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, Chili, Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and US state of Hawaii are on alert.

The pan-region warning came after officials said the tsunami was likely to be prolonged and massive as the quake was one of the severest ever to hit Japan.

The Pacific Ring countries, which lie on the Pacific shore, are severely prone to tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It is said that as many as 90 percent of the world's earthquakes happen along the Ring of Fire.

In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements, according to Wikipedia.