KnoWhy #121 - What Kind of Earthquake Caused the Prison Walls to Fall? (Alma 14:29)

While Alma and Amulek were imprisoned in Ammonihah, “the earth shook mightily,” causing the walls of the prison to fall, while the people of Ammonihah “heard a great noise” and “came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it.” It is likely that a divinely-timed earthquake caused this event. If earthquakes were common, however, the noise would hardly merit such a response by the people. Grover has suggested that the noise was a peculiar feature, known as an “earthquake boom,” which is unique to a specific kind of earthquake. Nothing in this story is implausible based on historical and geological information, and God often uses well-timed natural phenomena to accomplish His purposes.