Taylor Swift recently held an exciting Seattle concert with a surprising side effect: The ground started shaking! Experts who study earthquakes discovered vibrations similar to those of a magnitude 2.3 earthquake. The concert attracted a massive crowd of about 70,000 people, which shook the ground. Scientists compared this shaking to a similar event during a football game in 2011, when fans cheered and caused vibrations.
A combination of factors caused the shaking. The loud music played during the concert and Swift’s enthusiastic fans dancing and moving together created intense vibrations. Scientists were fascinated to find that the shaking during both nights of the concert had a consistent pattern, suggesting that the concert sets were very similar.
Compared to the 2011 event, the “Swift Quake” was twice as strong. Scientists observed that the shaking occurred at specific times during the concert, although they couldn’t pinpoint which songs caused the most intense vibrations. It’s important to recognize that other factors, such as cars and wind, can also cause shaking. Other concerts, like The Weeknd’s performance at the same venue, have also created small seismic events in the past.
The scientific community is excited about the attention this event has received. They hope the public’s interest in the shaking phenomenon will inspire young fans to pursue careers in science, particularly in fields like seismology and earth sciences.
“Maybe there’s some young Swifties out there that will someday become seismologists or earth scientists,” said Mouse Reusch, a seismologist.
A combination of factors caused the shaking. The loud music played during the concert and Swift’s enthusiastic fans dancing and moving together created intense vibrations. Scientists were fascinated to find that the shaking during both nights of the concert had a consistent pattern, suggesting that the concert sets were very similar.
Compared to the 2011 event, the “Swift Quake” was twice as strong. Scientists observed that the shaking occurred at specific times during the concert, although they couldn’t pinpoint which songs caused the most intense vibrations. It’s important to recognize that other factors, such as cars and wind, can also cause shaking. Other concerts, like The Weeknd’s performance at the same venue, have also created small seismic events in the past.
The scientific community is excited about the attention this event has received. They hope the public’s interest in the shaking phenomenon will inspire young fans to pursue careers in science, particularly in fields like seismology and earth sciences.
“Maybe there’s some young Swifties out there that will someday become seismologists or earth scientists,” said Mouse Reusch, a seismologist.
