Environmentally induced crack (EIC) initiation, propagation, and failure: A 3D in-situ time-lapse study of AA5083 H131

•Entire colonies of environmentally induced cracks have been observed in 4D.•Cracks initiate continuously from 0.5σy until failure; the rate is highest under straining.•EIC cracks clearly propagate below KIEIC threshold but are susceptible to arrest.•Propagation of all cracks is discontinuous and ranges from 0 to 20x the average velocity.•Microstructural obstacles can be directly related to the propagation behaviour.