Las Vegas sits on well-drained loamy alluvial soils with hard caliche layers underneath, so homes can get tiny differential settling where slabs meet framing—nothing dramatic, but enough to show up as tape seams cracking and nail pops. Add extreme summer heat and rapid temp changes: wood framing and drywall move at different rates, which stresses joints and corner bead. During monsoon flash-flood bursts, water can wick into lower walls or garages, softening gypsum and causing bubbling or soft spots. In the dry months, low humidity can make wood shrink a touch, opening hairline cracks that look “random” but usually track along seams. The durable fix is: stabilize the joint (retape or reinforce), reset fasteners, float properly, match texture, then seal/prime so the patch doesn’t ghost through later.