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Ring of fire: the five non-Japan nuclear sites in quake zone

The circle of seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean, known as the "ring of fire," stretches from Australia to Russia around to Alaska and America's West Coast and down to Chile in South America. It's an area responsible for 90 percent of the world's earthquakes and 75 percent of its volcanoes. So which of the more than 26 nations in the ring has nuclear power? Only three: Japan, of course (more than 50 plants); the United States (eight reactors at four plants); and Mexico (two reactors at one plant). Here's a look at the five non-Japanese plants in the world's most active earthquake zone:

1. Veracruz, Mexico

Helene Cyr/Design Pics/Newscom
Power lines in Mexico are shown. Mexico has two nuclear reactors that generate about 5 percent of the country's electricity.

  • By Mary Helen Miller Correspondent

Mexico has two nuclear reactors, called Laguna Verde 1 and 2, that generate 5 percent of the country’s electricity. Both are located in Veracruz, which is on Mexico's southeastern coast. The first was constructed in 1976 and connected to the grid in 1989. The second was constructed in 1977 and connected to the grid in 1994. The most recent earthquake in Veracruz took place on Feb. 25, 2011, and registered 6.0 on the Richter scale.

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