I am no geologist or vulcanonlogist, but here is my understanding (recalled from school many years ago). There is a hotspot in the pacific that is stationary. I believe it is called the Hawaiian hotspot. And the Hawaiian islands are on the Pacific Plate that does move ever so slowly. Each island was once over the hotspot and built up through volcanic activity. And as the plate moved, it took the island off the hotspot and it stopped growing.

Right now, I beleive there are three active volcanos on the big island of Hawaii along with the undersea volcano of Loihi. I remember hearing it called a seamount. That means Hawaiian real estate will be growing. We should have a new island in the next 10,000 to 20,000 years. Let me know if you guys want to get in on the ground floor and buy now. It is all "beach front" at the moment.

Oh, back to earthquakes... With that said, Hawaii will continue to have earthquakes as we are on a moving plate (but then again, who isn't) and because of our proximity to the hotspot and ongoing volcanic activity. We are still having aftershocks.

We prepare as best as we can for that as well as for our annual hurricane season. That is part of why I read this fine forum.