Blasting and Earth Movement

A Connecticut subscriber recently asked the following question:

Does the ISO HO–3 special form homeowners policy with the earthquake coverage endorsement provide coverage for a loss to the residence premises if blasting being conducted in the neighborhood caused cracking in the walls and windows of the homeowner's property?

ANSWER: An earthquake and earth movement are two different things. An earthquake is caused by sudden shaking of the ground caused by a disturbance deeper within the crust of the Earth. Most earthquakes occur when masses of rock straining against one another along fault lines suddenly fracture and slip. Blasting in the neighborhood does not constitute an earthquake, and therefor there is no coverage.

Editor's note: We've had a number of comments questioning the exclusion when an explosion is involved. Earth movement is excluded regardless whether caused by nature or something else; it has the standard anti-concurrent causation language. The exception for coverage by explosion is if the explosion is the result of the earth movement, not the earth movement being the result of the explosion. For example, an earthquake ruptures a gas line and causes an explosion that damages the house; that is covered. But an explosion causing the earth movement is excluded if the earth movement is what caused the damage. Damage caused by sonic waves caused by the explosion would be covered, but since the subscriber specifically mentioned the earthquake endorsement, we assumed the cause of damage was earth movement. Read More