How Small Can an Earthquake Get?
A brisk illustrated science explainer makes negative earthquake magnitudes tangible through a descending ladder of everyday actions.
By @xkcd_whatif for xkcdRuns 01:07
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Why it works
The spoken question resolves by 0:02.5 but opens a deeper curiosity gap about how far below zero the scale runs. A persistent ruler and 12 internal drawing changes turn abstract numbers into increasingly small physical examples; the crowded magnitude-zero scene overlaps the 0:20.8–0:21.4 replay peak. The jump to magnitude −15 at 0:55.4 creates a final surprise before the quiet coda.
Films like this
Tagged science explainerwhiteboard animationverticalhand drawnscale laddervoiceovermonochromevisual analogy
