What Are Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis?

Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis are all big, exciting events that happen when Earth moves, just like when you shake a toy house and everything inside tumbles out.

An earthquake is like when the ground under your feet suddenly jiggles or shakes. It happens because parts of the Earth move slowly for a long time, then snap all at once, kind of like when you pull on a rubber band until it breaks.

A volcano is like a giant, hot lava fountain inside the Earth. When pressure builds up deep underground, it can push molten rock, or lava, out through cracks in the ground, just like water shooting out of a soda bottle when you open it too fast.

A tsunami is like a giant wave that comes from an earthquake under the sea. When the Earth shakes underwater, it can push up a huge wall of water, which then rushes toward the shore, just like when you drop a rock in a pond and waves go rippling out.