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

Responsible for 90 percent of the world's earthquakes, the "ring of fire" stretches from Australia to Russia around to Alaska and America's West Coast and down to Chile in South America. Here are the five non-Japanese plants in the world's most active earthquake zone.

4. San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Laura Dickinson/The Tribune/ZUMA Press/Newscom/File
The double dome of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant is shown. The site is located in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where residents and lawmakers are asking tough questions about the plant's safety in the wake of Japan's earthquake and tsunami.

  • By Mary Helen Miller Correspondent

Two nuclear reactors began operating in 1985 and 1986 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. They are known as Diablo Canyon 1 and 2. The site is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan have rekindled concerns among residents and lawmakers about the plant's vulnerability, especially since its owner is asking regulators to renewal its operating licenses, which expire in 2024 and 2025. The company says the plant has been built to withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in a region not expected to sustain more than a 6.5 magnitude temblor.

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