Hello, smarty listeners. Please take a moment and leave us a five-star Apple rating review.

It not only helps us grow the show, but we might also read your review on Who Smarted.

So do it now. And don't forget, you can listen to Who Smarted anywhere, including Apple podcasts,

Spotify, and Amazon Music, including hands-free listening powered by Alexa on all Apple, Android,

and Echo devices. Hey, Smartypants, you hear that? What do you think that sound is?

Did you say, high tummy rumbling before lunch? Good guess. But that sounds more like this.

No, what you're hearing is the ground literally shaking. It's a natural phenomenon called an earthquake.

It's just a low rumble right now, but earthquakes have been known to topple trees.

Smash windows and damage buildings. The most violent earthquakes can trigger landslides,

tsunamis, and even volcanic eruptions.

The most violent earthquake in the world is the world's tallest mountain.

The world's tallest mountain ever is to shrink by an inch.

Obviously, earthquakes can be extremely dangerous. More than half the world's worst natural disasters

have been caused by, you guessed it, earthquakes. And there's no way to predict when the next one

will strike. One could be happening right now, and you wouldn't even know it. That's because

most earthquakes are harmless. And they happen a lot. Smartypants, can you guess how many earthquakes

happen each year? Is it 50, 100, 1000 more? According to the United States Geological Survey,

an organization responsible for monitoring earthquakes, there are around 500,000 detectable earthquakes

every year. And those are just the ones they've noticed. Experts believe millions more go

undetected. There's a good chance several will happen as you listen to this podcast,

maybe right even under your feet. What? But why do earthquakes happen? Why are some worse than

others? And what should you do when an earthquake strikes? It's time for another whiff of science,

...