History Main / Earthquakemachine

* In ''Film/UnderSiege2DarkTerritory'', Casey Ryback has to deal with the bad guys who have got their hands on the controls for just such a KillSat. If that wasn't silly enough in itself, the villain uses it to shoot down a jetliner and several fighter planes in mid-air.

* In ''Film/UnderSiege2DarkTerritory'', Casey Ryback has to deal with the bad guys who have got their hands on the controls for just such a KillSat.

* ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'': In ''Desastre'', a MadScientist threats cities using several types of {{Doomsday Device}}, the last one causing earthquakes and threatening the heroes' own city.

Almost every MadScientist has at least one of these in his blueprint library, sometimes even two. Sometimes simply called the Earthquake Machine, or the Quicksand Generator, Liquefaction Array, or even Ruin Device. If it does the two things that all earthquake machines have in common, it will: 1) cause earthquakes as its primary function, 2) [[CaptainObvious probably be a machine.]]

* [[DishingOutDirt Armodrillo]] from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' can use his drill arms to create small earthquakes or quickly create tunnels which can also generate vibrations.

* This causes the Undertaking in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. Specifically, the first season's bad guy uses one [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy or two, actually]] to destroy a particularly crime-ridden section of the city.]]

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* Was one in ''Manga/KamikazeKaitouJeanne''

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* The absolute first appearance of ComicBook/LexLuthor (Then only known as Luthor) in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics involved Luthor stealing one of these.

[[AC:Fan Fiction]]

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "The Enemy of the World" the eponymous dictator Salamander's evil scheme involves causing earthquakes in territories that oppose him.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Web Original]]
* [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP]]-[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-219 219]]. Actually can shake anything, not just earth.

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* The ''{{Franchise/Superman}}'' cartoon ''Electric Earthquake'' has one-- created by a Native American MadScientist who wants to reclaim Manhattan for his people, believing it was taken by fraud.
* [[DishingOutDirt Armodrillo]] from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' can use his drill arms to create small earthquakes or quickly create tunnels wich can also generate vibrations.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla claimed to have built one, but when it was tested on ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' it failed to create an earthquake, although it was able to sustain some significant vibrations.
* Hydrogen Bombs do this, particularly when someone buries them. Though one air detonated bomb, the Tsar Bomba, explosion was so big that it could be FELT anywhere and everywhere. Strangely though despite the wide swath of earth that is shook by an underground blast, there is little damage that is earthquake related.

* The DESTINY superweapon from ''Film/TheCore''.

* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'': Experiment #513 (Named Richter) is a living example. He is designed to create earthquakes by slamming his tail at the ground.

* The absolute first appearance of SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor (Then only known as Luthor) in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics involved Luthor stealing one of these.

* The absolute first appearance of SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor (Then only known as Luthor) in the [[TheGoldenAge Golden Age of Comic Books]] ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics involved Luthor stealing one of these.

* Was one in Manga/KamikazeKaitouJeanne

* This causes the Undertaking in ''Series/{{Arrow}}. Specifically, the first season's bad guy uses one [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy or two, actually]] to destroy a particularly crime-ridden section of the city.]]

* [[DishingOutDirt Armodrillo]] from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' can uses his drill arms to create small earthquakes or quickly create tunnels wich can also generate vibrations.

* [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Letz Shake's]] weapon of choice.
* PC mecha-sim game {{VideoGame/Starsiege}} had these in one mission on Mars. Known as 'Hammertanks' or 'Thumpers,' these were modified drilling platforms designed to shake [[HumongousMecha [=HERCs=]]] right off their feet. Seeing as how [=HERCs=] are apparently destroyed the moment they fall over, these tanks were extremely useful in their single appearance.

* Does [[Franchise/TransformersGenerationOne G1 Rumble]] count?
* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'': Experiment #513 (named Richter)]] is a living example. He is designed to create earthquakes by slamming his tail at the ground.

* One of the Sennins in ''Manga/HoushinEngi'' has this as her [[WeaponOfChoice Paopei]]. Although it had great destruction potential, her ally rightly points out that it's not a weapon of precision and hitting a single, nimble human-sized target is a tall order, even for a person of her skills.

!!Examples

* [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP]]-[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-219 219]]. Actually can shake anything, not just earth.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' [[GenkiGirl Vanille's]] LimitBreak counts as this, as a heroic example. Alexander also uses this as a special ability, via GroundPound.
* [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Letz Shake's]] weapon of choice.
* The DESTINY superweapon from ''Film/TheCore''.
* Does [[Franchise/TransformersGenerationOne G1 Rumble]] count?
* [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries Experiment #513 (named Richter)]] is a living example. He is designed to create earthquakes by slamming his tail at the ground.
* UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla claimed to have built one, but when it was tested on ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' it failed to create an earthquake, although it was able to sustain some significant vibrations.
* Hydrogen Bombs do this, particularly when someone buries them. Though one air detonated bomb, the Tsar Bomba, explosion was so big that it could be FELT anywhere and everywhere. Strangely though despite the wide swath of earth that is shook by an underground blast, there is little damage that is earthquake related.
* In an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Road Runner]]'', Wile E. Coyote makes the Road Runner eat the earthquake ''pills''. But, of course, he forgot to ReadTheFinePrint on the pill bottle.

* PC mecha-sim game {{VideoGame/Starsiege}} had these in one mission on Mars. Known as 'Hammertanks' or 'Thumpers,' these were modified drilling platforms designed to shake [[HumongousMecha [=HERCs=]]] right off their feet. Seeing as how [=HERCs=] are apparently destroyed the moment they fall over, these tanks were extremely useful in their single appearance.
* In ''Literature/BlueMoonRising'', one of the three {{Infinity Plus One Sword}}s, Rockbreaker, was one of these.
* The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 Techno]][[BaseOnWheels drome]] has one built-in.
* In Literature/MacdonaldHall 's ''The War With Mr. Wizzle,'' Elmer conveniently has a minor earthquake machine built, which the guys sneak into Wizzle's home and then convince him the home is built on a minor faultline.
* In ''[[Film/OceansEleven Ocean's Thirteen]]'', the crew uses a [[ThisIsADrill tunnel drill]] to simulate an earthquake hitting Las Vegas (specifically the Bank casino) in order to get everyone out of the building (to prevent people from losing the money they just won). However, the building continues to shake even after the drill stops working. In a deleted scene, [[Creator/EddieIzzard Roman Nagel]] suggests to Livingston Dell the possibility of the fake earthquake causing a real one.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Space 1889}}'' an earthquake machine or a volcano machine are possible inventions in the main book.
* Dr. Wily used one in the ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' cartoon.
* The ''{{Franchise/Superman}}'' cartoon ''Electric Earthquake'' has one-- created by a Native American MadScientist who wants to reclaim Manhattan for his people, believing it was taken by fraud.
* One of the Sennins in HoushinEngi has this as her [[WeaponOfChoice Paopei]]. Although it had great destruction potential, her ally rightly points out that it's not a weapon of precision and hitting a single, nimble human-sized target is a tall order, even for a person of her skills.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "The Enemy of the World" the eponymous dictator Salamander's evil scheme involves causing earthquakes in territories that oppose him.
* In ''Film/UnderSiege2DarkTerritory'', Casey Ryback has to deal with the bad guys who have got their hands on the controls for just such a KillSat.
* In ''Film/ConspiracyTheory'' MelGibson's conspiracy theorist character stumbles upon a conspiracy to kill the American president through an artificially induced earthquake. The machine is not described, but it's apparently fired from aboard a space shuttle.
* This causes the Undertaking in ''Series/{{Arrow}}.
** Specifically, the first season's BigBad uses one [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy or two, actually]] to destroy a particularly crime-ridden section of the city.]]

* In the movie Film/TheBigBus, the BigBad wants to stop the eponymous transit vehicle from being able to make a non-stop trip from New York to Denver, so when it leaves the road and ends up on a cliff, his brother wants to use the earthquake machine to knock the bus over the cliff. When he aims the earthquake [[spoiler:at his brother's location, in his iron lung]] HilarityEnsues.

* In the sequel to ''Film/UnderSiege'' StevenSeagal's character has to deal with the bad guys who have got their hands on the controls for just such a KillSat.

Occasionally overlaps with ThisIsADrill. While a ColonyDrop might cause an earthquake, and might very well involve a machine, the earthquake is simply a by-product of, well, a dropping colony.

* The MacGuffin for the ParodyFic ''Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space'' is a stolen Tesla Scalar Interferometer.

** SPecifically, the first season's BigBad uses one [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy or two, actually]] to destroy a particularly crime-ridden section of the city.]]

* In the movie Film/TheBigBus, the BigBad wants to stop the eponymous transit vehicle from being able to make a non-stop trip from New York to Denver, so when it leaves the road and ends up on a cliff, his brother wants to use the earthquake machine to knock the bus over the cliff. When he aims the earthquake [[spoiler:at his brother's location, in his iron lung]] hilarityEnsues.