. ▁A ▁number ▁of ▁islands , ▁such ▁as ▁T ern ate ▁( 1 7 2 1 ▁m ) ▁and ▁the ▁T NS ▁islands , ▁are ▁vol cano es ▁emer ging ▁from ▁the ▁sea ▁with ▁villages ▁s ited ▁around ▁their ▁coast s . ▁There ▁have ▁been ▁over ▁ 7 0 ▁serious ▁vol can ic ▁er u ptions ▁in ▁the ▁last ▁ 5 0 0 ▁years ▁and ▁earth qu akes ▁are ▁common . ▁ ▁The ▁ge ology ▁of ▁the ▁Mal u ku ▁Islands ▁share ▁much ▁similar ▁history , ▁characteristics ▁and ▁processes ▁with ▁the ▁neighbour ing ▁N usa ▁T eng g ara ▁region . ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁long ▁history ▁of ▁ge ological ▁study ▁of ▁these ▁regions ▁since ▁Indones ian ▁colonial ▁times ; ▁however , ▁the ▁ge ological ▁formation ▁and ▁pro gression ▁is ▁not ▁fully ▁understood , ▁and ▁theories ▁of ▁the ▁island ' s ▁ge ological ▁evolution ▁have ▁changed ▁extens ively ▁in ▁recent ▁dec ades . ▁The ▁Mal u ku ▁Islands ▁compr ise ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁ge olog ically ▁complex ▁and ▁active ▁regions ▁in ▁the ▁world , ▁resulting ▁from ▁their ▁position ▁at ▁the ▁meeting ▁point ▁of ▁four ▁ge ological ▁pl ates ▁and ▁two ▁contin ental ▁blocks . ▁ ▁Bi ota ▁and ▁environment ▁Bi oge ograph ically , ▁all ▁of ▁the ▁islands ▁apart ▁from ▁the ▁A ru ▁group ▁lie ▁in ▁Wal lace a , ▁the ▁region ▁between ▁the ▁S unda ▁Sh elf ▁( part ▁of ▁the ▁Asia ▁block ), ▁and ▁the ▁A raf ura ▁Sh elf ▁( part ▁of ▁the ▁Australian ▁block ). ▁More ▁specifically , ▁they