Solid ground can behave like a liquid during earthquakes, causing objects to sink into or rise up from an otherwise rigid surface.

After a landslide, repeat activity may follow the appearance of cracks, springs of water, or dirt, sand, and rocks tumbling down from scars—exposed portions of Earth where the initial landslide began.

Quicksand—a mixture of sand with clay or silt soaked in water that gives way when enough pressure is applied—is denser than the human body, meaning you naturally float inside it.

Earthquakes of identical magnitudes are unlikely to cause equal damage because magnitude only measures energy released, and earthquake severity depends on environmental factors, such as local architecture and geological conditions.

Some tectonic plates move faster than their underlying convection currents

Sinkholes form when underground cavities cause the surface above to collapse

Tectonic earthquakes are caused by tectonic plates sliding past one another at fault zones, deforming rock through friction as energy builds like a stretched rubber band.

Enhanced geothermal power systems can trigger earthquakes by injecting fluid into rock, increasing subterranean pressure.

While landslides are associated with the downward flow of unstable terrain, the term encompasses a variety of geological processes, which are distinguished by how the material moves and what materials are involved.

Earthquakes are difficult to predict because they result from rocks suddenly sliding past one another or breaking, and this varies across rock types.

Because rising temperatures cause materials to expand, bridges and other infrastructure are built with gaps called expansion joints to accommodate the resulting lengthening.

Deep-sea trenches form when one tectonic plate subducts another underwater

Although earthquakes cause about 80% of tsunamis, almost all earthquakes lack sufficient energy to cause the sudden shift in the ocean floor needed to substantially displace enormous volumes of water.

Some earthquakes can produce smaller tremors called boomerang earthquakes, which travel in the opposite direction and ripple back to the original earthquake's source.

Ancient sunken plates may influence mantle convection and surface motion

Explosive volcanic eruptions happen when magma pressure overcomes rock strength

Just as light bends at different angles as it travels through different materials, seismic waves move in different directions through Earth's interior, revealing the presence of layers with varying properties.

Scientists define sea level as the elevation to which water would settle on Earth's surface, given the planet's gravitational field and rotation.

Thunderquakes—seismic waves created when lightning strikes the ground—have enabled scientists to image underground environments near Earth's surface by detecting vibrations along subterranean fiber-optic cables.

What makes the Earth shake?

Some scientists hypothesize that stressed rocks can discharge built-up static electricity in the form of lightning—a phenomenon known as fracto-luminescence, or earthquake lights.

When oceanic plates sink beneath tectonic ones, they can generate magma

Techniques to earthquake-proof a building include the use of counterweights, such as a massive column or pendulum, to dampen the impact of seismic activity and isolating a building's structure from its base.

The four types of seismic waves—vibrations that carry energy generated by geological events, such as earthquakes—are categorized as body or surface waves.

Tsunamis are caused by a massive volume of water being suddenly displaced, as occurs when the seafloor shifts due to geological events such as earthquakes.

Convection flows in Earth’s mantle drive the movement of tectonic plates

Simulations suggest ice's slipperiness comes from rearranging molecules

When struck, objects vibrate at unique rates called resonant frequencies, which makes tapping wood sound different from tapping metal, but providing objects with sound at their resonant frequency can cause them to shatter.

Heat slowly moves through Earth's mantle like softened wax

Likened to a car backfiring or a faraway cannon fire, skyquakes have been reported worldwide in Earth's atmosphere without any obvious cause.

The geoid depicts what Earth would look like if not for tides and currents, given the planet's rotation and uneven gravitational field.

The world's largest earthquake simulator is an 800-ton shake table facility in Miki, Japan, which was built to test the resilience of structures after the 1995 Kobe earthquake killed over 6,000 people.

In the absence of air resistance—as occurs in a vacuum chamber—all objects fall at the same rate.

A 25-magnitude earthquake would release enough energy to destroy the sun, while a -15-magnitude quake is made whenever dust settles onto a table's surface.

Explaining the Leidenfrost effect, where water can hover and move against gravity

Wave tanks can be used to create and study the impacts of tsunamis by building tension in an underwater object before allowing it to slip and rapidly displace water.

Slab pull and ridge push contribute to convection-driven oceanic crust movement

Earth's inner structure is a dynamic system of layers in constant, slow motion

Disposal wells for fracking wastewater have been linked to spikes in seismic activity

Reported earthquake magnitudes often change because initial values are based on limited information, whereas revised magnitudes account for factors such as fault size, rupture duration, and seismic wave behavior.

Volcanic activity can lead to the formation of fertile soils

Structures from ancient Rome have endured for millennia because tiny pieces of lime in Roman concrete enabled it to self-heal and prevent cracks from spreading when exposed to water.

Why are ancient ruins underground?

Interacting sound waves can create regions where the pressure from each wave combines, allowing objects to levitate in place against gravity or be manipulated for touch-free construction.

The moon's gravity exerts an overall pressure that displaces the oceans toward the opposite sides of Earth's equator, producing tides.

Geological tremors on the moon provide evidence that it is shrinking

A chemical overview of water, whose uncommon properties help sustain life on Earth

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

Scientists investigate Earth's interior by studying seismic waves

Concrete is made of water, a fine aggregate such as sand, a coarse aggregate such as gravel, and cement, which is a fine binding powder composed of limestone, clay, shells, and silica sand.

While dry surfaces slip on ice, warm or moist ones may stick to it as moisture quickly freezes onto the ice.