Editing Explorer plate (section)

== Seismic activity ==
As a part of the Pacific [[Ring of Fire]], the Explorer plate has a high level of seismic activity.  However, the activity consists of low-magnitude events; no earthquake above [[Seismic scale|magnitude]] 6.5 has been recorded in the region, though a swarm of several dozen magnitude 5–6 earthquakes occurred just north of the [[Seminole Seamount]] in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://concord.org/stem-resources/seismic-explorer|title=Seismic Explorer|date=October 6, 2016|website=Concord Consortium|access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref> The Explorer plate is the most seismically active area of Canada, but is anomalous as a subduction zone since most of the seismic activity occurs around the plate's perimeter rather than at the subduction interface.<ref name=":22" /> Events are generally centered around the southern and north-western areas where the borders of the plate are in contact with other plates; however, the newer ocean crust created at Explorer ridge and [[Juan de Fuca Ridge|Juan de Fuca ridge]] reduces the rigidity of the region and contributes to the low magnitude of events in the region.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fuis|first=Gary S.|title=West margin of North America – a synthesis of recent seismic transects|journal=Tectonophysics|volume=288|issue=1–4|pages=265–292|doi=10.1016/s0040-1951(97)00300-4|bibcode=1998Tectp.288..265F|year=1998|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1259709}}</ref>