Editing 3021: Seismologists

{{comic
| number    = 3021
| date      = December 6, 2024
| title     = Seismologists
| image     = seismologists_2x.png
| imagesize = 327x270px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = And even when they're not distracted, they usually get kicked out for illegal under-the-net 'subduction spikes'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ROGUE SEISMOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In seismology, a {{w|Focal mechanism#Moment tensor solutions|"beachball" diagram}} is a [https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/focal-mechanisms-or-beachballs graphic] that is used to show the type of slip that occurs in an earthquake. There are three types of slips: strike-slip, normal, and thrust, each with a corresponding beachball diagram. [[Ponytail]] is playing beach ball volleyball (a form of {{w|volleyball}} played with a {{w|beach ball}}, though normally played on an indoor court, as opposed to what is presumably sand in the comic). She is distracted by the  resemblance of the rotating two-shaded beach ball to a strike-slip beachball diagram (something she uses in her field of study), and fails to play the ball, causing her to be hit on the head.

The comic plays on the dual meaning of the word "fault".  In {{w|Fault_(geology)|geology}}, it refers to a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which can allow them to move past each other. In volleyball, a [https://www.beachup.app/en/beach-volleyball-guide/beach-volleyball-rules/faults/ "fault"] refers to a play violation that causes a team to lose a point. Had her opponent committed a fault within the rules of the game, the point would be finished, and there would be no reason for Ponytail to attempt to play the ball.

The {{w|subduction}} referred to in the title text occurs when one tectonic plate slides underneath another. In volleyball, a {{w|Spike (volleyball)|spike}} is a type of shot, typically the third of a team's three allowed touches, hit hard over the net from high up down toward the floor on the opponent's side. A "subduction spike" would be a spike hit under the net, and would indeed not be legal and would result in a point for the opponent.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan, Ponytail and Hairy are playing beach volleyball. Megan has her arms outreached; she has just thrown the ball. The volleyball, with black and white quadrants, is shown three times, each rotated differently and with a dashed line connecting them: once above the net, once heading towards Ponytail, and once after bouncing off Ponytail’s head. Hairy is running towards Ponytail with his arm raised. Wavy lines are shown on the ground to show sand.]
:Ponytail: Ooh, a strike-slip fault!
:''Bonk!''
:Ponytail: '''''Ow!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Why seismologists are bad at beach ball volleyball

==Trivia==
Although probably unrelated, a [https://apnews.com/article/california-earthquake-tsunami-warning-e1c73514097b78dfc082e40f98d0d426 7.0 magnitude earthquake] hit Northern California, USA at 10:44 AM PST the previous day, causing tsunami warnings (which were later cancelled) and a state of emergency to be called.

[[Beret Guy]] obtained a subduction license in [[1388]].
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Earthquakes]]
[[Category:Sport]]