1,000 earthquakes recorded in two weeks on Japanese islands

More than 1,000 earthquakes have been recorded in the past two weeks on a remote island chain in southern Japan.

Experts say that seismic activity has been "very active" in the seas around the Tokara islands since 21 June.

There have been no reports of damage however authorities have advised residents to prepare to move to safety if needed.

According to local media, the area regularly experiences clusters of jolts but the number of recent tremors has been unusual.

What's the latest?

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries in the world.

This is because it sits on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

The archipelago, usually experiences around 1,500 tremors every year and accounts for about 18% of the world's earthquakes.

Tokara Islands are a remote chain of twelve islands which are found in south-western Japan.

Seven of the twelve Islands are inhabited, with around 700 residents living there in total.

Since 21 June around 1,031 quakes have been recorded in the area.

No major damage has been reported however some islanders have been recommended to get ready to be moved to safety if the frequency of earthquakes continues.

What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction produced this map of the Ring of Fire stretching around the Pacific Ocean

The Ring of Fire refers to a string of volcanoes, earthquake sites and tectonic plates around the Pacific.

It spreads across around 25,000 miles from the southern tip of South America all the way to New Zealand.

Tectonic plates, huge slabs of the Earth's crust, are not fixed but are constantly move on top a of layer of solid and molten rock.

When these pieces move they can cause earthquakes or volcanoes, or both.

Roughly 90% of all earthquakes occur along this area and the ring is dotted with 75% of all active volcanoes on Earth - that's 452 individual active volcanoes.