Hey Don,

You didn't mention any onion and garlic sandwiches or Corona Beer either, so what's on your mind anyway?

The question is, what is going on off of Vancouver Island? 5,000 earthquakes, its way off shore, no ones getting hurt so at this point it is just a fascination. I think our greatest problem with this scenario is the lack of experience to understand what we are seeing.

Kicking it around a bit, we do know that Axial Mount Volcano sits on the same plate boundary to the south and west of this area. Yet, a little north is the same place that delivered 6 5.+ quakes before Olympia went. These are a lot different. There are copius numbers of small quakes and a few in the moderate range. Is it volcanic? Volcanic and tectonic?

So tickling the gray cells, this is what I see:

1. A new volcano is being formed and nothing will happen.

2. A bigger quake(s) will occur and set up another subduction event.

3. If it is volcanic, does that influence other volcanos in the area and bring them to life? You know whenever St. Helens was active there was another volcano north east of Sedro Wooley that was venting, but never erupted.

Everyone's welcome to jump in here and take a run down the field. Its wide open. Actually, I don't like the looks of things up there. Not just because of this one very busy place, but the overall look and feel of uneasiness.

If one were to look at it this way,

--------------------the land

- * - * - * - * - rocks beneath

to me I see instability. The land went over the rocks in the subduction quake in Olympia, but what remains has not settled down and is teeter tottering and thus its bringing on more quakes. With much friction you have vulcanism, more stress brings tectonic quakes, so you have them together in one place, on a plate boundary.

This is one for a specialist, its far above my head. Help...

Petra