What are seismic events?

Seismic events are big shakes or trembles that happen deep inside the Earth, like when you shake a jar full of jellybeans and they all rattle around.

Imagine you're holding a big bowl of soup on a wobbly table. If the table suddenly moves, the soup sloshes around, just like the ground moves during a seismic event.

Inside the Earth, there are big plates that move slowly over time, like giant puzzle pieces sliding across the floor. Sometimes these plates bump into each other or slide past one another, and boom! That sudden movement sends waves through the Earth, making it shake.

When those waves reach the surface, they make the ground move up, down, or side to side, just like when you're on a swing and someone gives it a push. Sometimes the shakes are small, like a gentle nudge, but sometimes they’re big enough to feel like the whole world is shaking!