ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dirt cone

Okay, so imagine you're playing with some dirt in your yard. You might take some dirt and make a little pile with it, right? Well, if you keep adding more dirt to that pile, eventually it might start to form a cone shape. That's what we call a dirt cone!

Now, let's think about why that happens. When you add more and more dirt to the pile, the weight of all that dirt is pushing down on the dirt at the bottom of the pile. This makes the dirt at the bottom get squished together and compacted. As a result, it becomes harder and more solid compared to the loose dirt at the top of the pile.

So when you add more dirt to the pile, it's actually easier for that dirt to stay up at the top, where it's not being squeezed as much. Meanwhile, the dirt at the bottom is already pretty tightly packed, so it doesn't move around as much. All of this causes the pile to take on a cone shape as it gets taller and taller.

But remember, this is just what happens with loose dirt. If you were trying to build a bigger pile with something like rocks or Legos, it might not work the same way!