Seismic activity equivalent to a minor earthquake was observed during two of Taylor Swift’s recent concerts in Seattle.
When discussing creating a buzz, Taylor Swift and her fans take it literally.
Washington State seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach studied seismic readings from a station near Lumen Field in Seattle. This is where Taylor Swift held back-to-back concerts on July 22 as a part of her Eras tour.
The analysis? The tremors during those nights mirrored those of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. Caplan-Auerbach shared with CNN, “I gathered approximately 10 hours of data. The music, the speakers, the rhythmic beats – all this energy can penetrate the ground and cause it to vibrate.”
The curious investigation was spurred by a discussion in a Pacific Northwest earthquake group on Facebook, which Caplan-Auerbach moderates. A member wondered how the seismic readings from a Swift concert might differ from those during a Seattle Seahawks game, also held at the 70,000-seater Lumen Field.
When juxtaposed with the seismic waves caused during the 2011 “Beast Quake,” a defining moment when fans celebrated a touchdown by Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, the Swift concert emerged as a clear standout. “Swift’s fans certainly made more of a seismic impression than the Beast Quake. While the latter was just a brief moment, the energy from the Swifties lasted much longer,” she remarked to Seattle’s NBC affiliate, King 5 News.
However, she also pointed out via Twitter that the concert’s seismic data might not solely be attributed to the fans but could also be due to the concert’s sound system.
Fans who were present at the Seattle concert had quite a lot to say about their experience. One concert-goer shared on Facebook, “The entire stadium seemed to shake. The bass was so powerful that it felt coursing through me. It was unlike any other concert experience I’ve had.”
As the lines between music, fandom, and natural phenomena blur, it’s clear that the power of live performances and fan enthusiasm can manifest in surprising ways. Whether it’s the enthusiasm of football fans or the undying spirit of Swifties, these events are more than just gatherings—they are seismic experiences, both metaphorically and now, scientifically. Next time Taylor Swift sings about making the earth move, she might speak literally!
