Taylor Swift’s Concerts Trigger Small Earthquakes During The Eras Tour

Two of Taylor Swift’s many shows as part of The Eras Tour (US leg) have recorded small earthquakes, according to recent research conducted by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During her performances at SoFi Stadium in August 2023, the intense jumping of 70,000 spectators led to seismic activity resembling a minor earthquake.

Experts focused their research on the fifth night of Swift’s six-night concert series. They strategically placed motion sensors just over 5.5 miles (nearly 8.9 km) from the venue to capture the seismic data. The collected data was analyzed using a spectrogram, a chart that visualizes wavelength frequency traces.

The analysis revealed that the performance of “Shake It Off” produced a local seismic intensity of 0.851. Additionally, “Love Story” also created a significant amplitude.

The findings from Caltech and UCLA were initially based on observations shared by seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach. The detailed results were published in a report titled “Shake to the Beat: Exploring the Seismic Signals and Stadium Response of Concerts and Music Fans.”

The phenomenon, dubbed “Swift Quake” by Western media, echoed a similar event that took place at Lumen Field in Seattle just a month prior, where ground shaking equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded during another of Swift’s performances.

This is not an isolated incident exclusive to Taylor Swift. Concerts by other major artists like Beyoncé, Metallica, and Morgan Wallen have also been known to generate small seismic activities.

The Eras Tour, which began in the spring of 2023, has broken numerous attendance records and is on track to become the highest-grossing tour of all time. Taylor Swift is set to continue her tour globally, with upcoming shows in Japan, Australia, Singapore, and various European countries.