Researchers have discovered that liquids can fracture like solids under specific conditions. Interestingly, the team also found that the liquid “snapping” produces a sudden noise, like that of breaking solids.

The critical element to the research is that liquids will only break like this when pulled apart at speeds that prevent them from “flowing away” from stress. Like in solids, this provides enough time for stress to build up enough for a sudden fracture to form.