Taylor Swift sang, “I shake it off, I shake it off.” And oh, were her fans faithful! They danced so hard, it caused an earthquake! Seismologists said that last weekend’s Taylor Swift concert in downtown Seattle caused the ground to shake so violently that it generated signals on a nearby seismometer nearly similar to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake.
Seismometers may detect a variety of ground vibrations, but this one evoked memories of the 2011 “Beast Quake”! “Beast Quake” was a seismic event caused by the intense crowd reaction to Marshawn Lynch’s remarkable 67-yard touchdown run during the 2011 NFL playoffs, securing a victory for the Seattle Seahawks against the New Orleans Saints.
Acceleration is used by seismologists to quantify ground vibrations, which are subsequently translated to the more traditional Richter scale, the usual scale used to measure earthquakes.
Seismometers can detect many kinds of ground vibrations, but the “Swift Quake’s” size has been compared to the pro football “Beast Quake” of 2011. The Seattle Seahawks’ “Beast Mode” rushing back Marshawn Lynch scored a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, setting off the seismic activity. Taylor Swift Seatlle concert was no less than once in a lifetime event, she definitely set the record high and gave everything she got!
Seismologists on Swift Quake
Seismologist “Mouse Reusch” of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which keeps track of seismic activity in the Pacific Northwest, said, “It’s definitely the largest concert we’ve had in a while.” “We’re talking about 70,000 people, along with all the concert-related music and gear.”
According to Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist at Western Washington University, the so-called “Swift Quake” measured a maximum ground acceleration of around 0.011 meters per second squared.
According to Reusch of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, the activity at the time was quite similar to an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.0. The same seismic station, which is close to Lumen Field, captured the “Swift Quake” on film.
Taylor Swift performed two performances on the nights of July 22 and 23, and the readings continued throughout each performance. According to Caplan-Auerbach, the earth shook more than “twice as strongly” as it did during the Seahawks game in 2011. The Richter scale, which is logarithmic, shows a twofold difference despite the fact that this was 0.3 magnitude stronger than in 2011. Here is the tweet
Seismologists concluded that the music played by the concert’s sound system and Taylor Swift’s followers, sometimes referred to as “Swifties,” dancing along to it were the most likely causes.
