Final answer:
Buildings may tilt or collapse during an earthquake due to resonance, where the frequency of seismic waves matches a structure's natural frequency. This leads to standing waves, and roof failures are prevalent in wide-spanned structures like gymnasiums due to resonance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process responsible for causing buildings to tilt during earthquakes is resonance, which occurs when the frequency of seismic waves matches the natural frequency of a building. This can lead to standing waves being set up in structures of a certain height and constructive and destructive interference of waves reflecting off denser subsurface layers. Roofs of gymnasiums and churches often fail because they have wide spans and are supported only at the edges, making them particularly susceptible to resonating at the earthquake frequencies, leading to collapse. This phenomenon is heightened because of the large surface areas of such roofs and their design, which is less segmented than that of family homes. Consequently, the energy from the earthquake can cause especially severe damage if these conditions align with the seismic waves.