Difficulty Adjustment
The chain retuning itself to keep block time steady.
Difficulty adjustment is how a chain keeps its block interval near target no matter how much hashrate is online. If blocks arrive too fast, difficulty rises; too slowly, and it falls.
Chains differ in how often they retarget: some every block, some every couple of weeks. A chain that adjusts rarely can be left very slow for a long stretch if a lot of hashrate leaves at once.
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