Frequent earthquakes
A Benioff zone is a planar zone where numerous earthquakes are likely, typically corresponding with the down-going slab in a subduction zone. Examples are: the Nazca Plate which is subducting below the western edge of the South American Plate; the Juan de Fuca Plate in the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Plate subducting beneath the North America Plate; various smaller plates in the western and southern Pacific Ocean subducting beneath the Pacific Plate (what is sometimes called the "Ring of Fire").
