Actually, tectonics have been surprisingly low for the last decade. We've had less activity this year than we had in '95. We're picking back up, and if we get 3 or 4 more nice 4.0 or better quakes, we'll be back on par with average. We've gotten used to not having quakes, and now the planet's picking back up (as it was bound to do). It's got a lot of spare pressure to burn, we'll be seeing a few biggies. Not to mention some impressive volcanoes. Most quakes, however, happen in the ocean, which is the cause of tsunami strikes.
Our planet's just doing what it's always done: going through cycles. We just had a lucky streak of mild phenomena. Now our streak is gone, and we're not used to it. Kind of like 50 degrees is cold enough for a jacket in summer, but warm enough for shorts in winter. It's simply aclimation.
What I'm waiting for is another "incredibly stupid human error inviting total destruction". Like the tsunami, and hurricane katrina. You know.... the ones that wouldn't be a big deal, except that people are idiotic and chose to live the wrong ways, in the wrong places. I'm thinking it'll be an earthquake in Chicago. Yes, Chicago, it's sitting pretty close to a powerful fault line. Said line, more or less follows the Mississipi river. Last time it went off was about 150 or so years ago. The Mississipi river flowed BACKWARDS for six months in order to fill the hole it created. There isn't a skyscraper in Chicago that could take a tremor of any power.
