In Seattle, a Taylor Swift Concert caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake.
Nicknamed the “Swift Quake”, seismometers recorded ground acceleration of a max of 0.011 meters per second squared. With the loud music and the many cheering fans, it’s no wonder why the ground shook. There were also many songs that got the fans up and jumping on their feet. This likely caused the seismic activity in the earth.
“It’s certainly the biggest concert we’ve had in a while,” said Mouse Reusch, a seismologist at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which monitors earthquake activity in the Pacific Northwest. “We’re talking about 70,000 people and all the music and paraphernalia associated with the concert.” This means that there would be a large crowd, which increases the shaking activity recorded.
A fun comparison that has happened with the Swift Quake is with the “Beast Quake” of 2011. Similar activity was also recorded after a last-minute touchdown was scored, and the crowd went a little too wild. The difference was that the Swift Quake shook the earth two times as much as the Beast Quake. The difference in the shaking is cool, but also a little scary.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was very successful and completely sold out, reaching tens of thousands of fans every time. Seismic activity was likely caused by the fans cheering and roaring.
At other concerts too, similar ground activity was also recorded. In these other instances, it was likely the song that hyped up the crowd and caused the ground to shake.
Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/arts/music/taylor-swift-earthquake-seattle-.html
Nicknamed the “Swift Quake”, seismometers recorded ground acceleration of a max of 0.011 meters per second squared. With the loud music and the many cheering fans, it’s no wonder why the ground shook. There were also many songs that got the fans up and jumping on their feet. This likely caused the seismic activity in the earth.
“It’s certainly the biggest concert we’ve had in a while,” said Mouse Reusch, a seismologist at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which monitors earthquake activity in the Pacific Northwest. “We’re talking about 70,000 people and all the music and paraphernalia associated with the concert.” This means that there would be a large crowd, which increases the shaking activity recorded.
A fun comparison that has happened with the Swift Quake is with the “Beast Quake” of 2011. Similar activity was also recorded after a last-minute touchdown was scored, and the crowd went a little too wild. The difference was that the Swift Quake shook the earth two times as much as the Beast Quake. The difference in the shaking is cool, but also a little scary.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was very successful and completely sold out, reaching tens of thousands of fans every time. Seismic activity was likely caused by the fans cheering and roaring.
At other concerts too, similar ground activity was also recorded. In these other instances, it was likely the song that hyped up the crowd and caused the ground to shake.
Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/arts/music/taylor-swift-earthquake-seattle-.html
