Abstract:The reliable partition of seismic zones is very important for earthquake prediction and seismic hazard evaluation.We have recognized that an intraplate seismogenic tectonic block is laterally bounded by major faults,or by major faults and plate boundaries,and its bottom boundary is the Conrad discontinuity or the low-velocity and high-conductivity layer;an interplate seismogenic tectonic block,a subducting plate,is constrained by major faults and/or plate boundaries;the earthquakes within the same seismogenic tectonic block and the same seismic period are intrinsically linked.Thus,a seismic zone can be defined as an area representing the seismicity generated from the locked segment’s cracking within the corresponding seismogenic tectonic block.Based on the principle of determining the boundaries of a seismogenic tectonic block and its corresponding seismic zone we propose,the two major seismic belts worldwide,the Circum-Pacific seismic belt and the Eurasia seismic belt,are divided into 62 seismic zones;the partition scheme of each seismic zone has passed the test of the brittle failure theory of multiple locked segments,which shows that the scheme is reliable.Furthermore,we summarize the seismic zoning method.