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🌎 '''Earth movement''' is a broad [[Definition:Peril | peril]] classification used in [[Definition:Property insurance | property insurance]] to describe the shifting, settling, sinking, rising, or lateral displacement of land — whether caused by natural geological forces or human activity. It encompasses events such as [[Definition:Earthquake | earthquakes]], landslides, mudflows, sinkholes, subsidence, and soil erosion. In insurance [[Definition:Policy language | policy language]], earth movement is treated as a distinct category of risk because its causes are varied, its geographic incidence is uneven, and the damage it produces can be both sudden and gradual.

📑 Standard [[Definition:Commercial property insurance | commercial]] and [[Definition:Homeowners insurance | homeowners]] policies in the United States typically exclude earth movement under the [[Definition:Earth movement exclusion | earth movement exclusion]], which removes coverage for losses arising from virtually all forms of ground instability unless the movement is directly caused by a covered peril such as an explosion. Policyholders who need protection against earth movement must generally purchase separate [[Definition:Endorsement | endorsements]] or standalone policies — most commonly [[Definition:Earthquake insurance | earthquake insurance]]. [[Definition:Underwriting | Underwriters]] assess earth movement exposure by analyzing geological surveys, soil composition, proximity to fault lines, and historical incidence data, often relying on [[Definition:Catastrophe model | catastrophe models]] from firms like [[Definition:Risk Management Solutions (RMS) | RMS]] or [[Definition:AIR Worldwide | AIR Worldwide]] to estimate potential losses.

⚠️ The breadth of the earth movement peril makes it a frequent source of [[Definition:Coverage dispute | coverage disputes]]. After a loss event, disagreements often center on whether the proximate cause was excluded earth movement or a covered peril — for example, whether water damage following a landslide constitutes a [[Definition:Flood | flood]] loss, an earth movement loss, or both. Courts in different jurisdictions have reached varying conclusions, which means [[Definition:Insurance carrier | carriers]], [[Definition:Insurance broker | brokers]], and [[Definition:Policyholder | policyholders]] must pay close attention to the specific wording of exclusions and any applicable [[Definition:Anti-concurrent causation clause | anti-concurrent causation clauses]]. For [[Definition:Catastrophe risk | catastrophe risk]] managers, accurately modeling earth movement exposure is essential to setting adequate [[Definition:Premium | premiums]] and maintaining portfolio resilience.

'''Related concepts:'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Definition:Earth movement exclusion]]
* [[Definition:Earthquake]]
* [[Definition:Catastrophe model]]
* [[Definition:Property insurance]]
* [[Definition:Subsidence]]
* [[Definition:Peril]]
{{Div col end}}

Definition:Earth movement - Revision history

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