VANCOUVER - Scientists are headed today to a remote area in the B.C. Interior to install seismic equipment and determine whether a "swarm" of small earthquakes is evidence of a forthcoming burst of molten lava - the first volcanic activity in Canada in almost two centuries.

Photo: Lava flows from a crater of the restive Mayon volcano 15 August 2006 as seen from nearby city of Legaspi. (Getty Images)

"It's pretty exciting to see this," said John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada. "The earthquakes are continuing, even today. We should have some answers soon."

Existing seismic equipment at Thunder Mountain south of where the earthquakes are happening - about 100 kilometres west of Quesnel, B.C. - began recording earthquake activity on Oct. 10.

Since then, there have been more than 100 small earthquakes, most of them magnitude 1.0 or less on the Richter scale but some as big as 3.1 or 3.2, emanating from 25 kilometres below the earth's surface.

The activity is located about 20 kilometres west of Nazko Cone, which last erupted about 7,200 years ago.

The cone is now being mined by Lightweight Advanced Volcanic Aggregates Inc. for its basalt and black pumice - up to 50,000 tonnes a year, used as fill for construction, concrete blocks, barbecue rock and landscaping.

"The lava king, that's what they call me," company president Brian Wear said.

He said his employees feel small earthquakes from time to time at the site, but not recently due to the depth at which they are occurring.

Wear said doesn't believe a lava flow is forthcoming, but admitted one would be interesting to watch.

Federal volcanologist Catherine Hickson said that if the latest earthquakes lead to volcano activity, one might expect "fire fountaining," with lava expelled up to 100 metres in the air.

Hickson has travelled around the world to view volcanic activity, and said she's a little excited at the prospect of seeing lava in her own backyard. The lava might be expected to flow five to 10 kilometres, and the ash spread 10 to 20 kilometres.

No major population centres are threatened by such an eruption. But Wear said there is active logging and ranching in the region.

Hickson said the most recent volcanic eruption in Canada is estimated to have happened around 1830 to 1850 in northwestern B.C.

Even if lava is on its way, it could take weeks or months to reach the surface, Cassidy said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSJAK28402620071016?sp=true