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A Taylor Swift concert in Seattle measured the same as a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, seismologists have said.
The data was recorded at Swift’s sell-out Eras tour performances at Lumen Field on 22 and 23 July.
Seismic data from Swift’s sell-out dates at the Lumen Field stadium on 22 and 23 July, in front of a total of over 144,000 fans, was analysed by experts who found the shows beat the previous Lumen record, known as the city’s ‘Beast Quake’.
I guess I should show the data. Swifties > Seahawks fans.
(except data from the concert may not be caused by the fans–it may be the sound system, so not really a fair comparison). pic.twitter.com/szwowOYQFi
— Jackie Caplan-Auerbach 🇺🇦 🌻 (@geophysichick) July 27, 2023
That was back in 2011 when fans reacted to American footballer Marshawn Lynch’s touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks during a playoff game against the New Orleans Saints – an event which was a magnitude 2.0.
Seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach said the activity was caused by Swift’s fans or the sound system.
She decided to look at the data after being prompted by a local fan on Facebook.
Mouse Reusch, a seismologist at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, said the waves were turned into a sonogram to work out which songs had the biggest impact according to the beats per minute.
One of her students found that fittingly the song Shake It Off had the loudest response, along with Blank Space.
A 2.3 magnitude earthquake is considered minor, with more than a million felt globally every year. Although they are noticeable to humans, they aren’t strong enough to damage buildings.