Could 5 big Pacific earthquakes trigger one here?

October 10th, 2009,
by Gary Robbins, science writer-editor

DANGER ZONE: Scientists say that about 80 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes occur in the Pacific Ring of Fire, which includes Southern California. Map courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

[b]The five big earthquakes that have occurred in the South Pacific over the past 10 days are causing some anxiety here, with readers asking whether the ruptures in that part of the “Ring of Fireâ€