Taylor Swift performance of Shake It Off equals 2.3 magnitude earthquake

Jul 28, 2023

A Taylor Swift concert in Seattle measured the same as a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, seismologists have said.

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’.

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.

Professor Jackie Caplan Auerbach, a geologist at Western Washington University, told the Seattle Times the impact of the three-and-half-hour Eras tour show was “Seismic Swift”.

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.

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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.

It is not yet clear exactly what caused the ground to shake so much – the bass, subwoofers or people jumping up and down.

Could Beyonce beat Swift?

But local seismologists are poised for Beyonce’s concert at the same venue in September – to see if her fans can beat the record.

Tickets for the UK leg of the Taylor Swift Eras tour went on sale this month.

While some came away elated, others were left disappointed at being “kicked out” of the computer system once they reached the front of the virtual queue.

The 33-year-old American star will kick off the European leg of her tour in May 2024, playing 13 shows across the UK in total.

Shows in the US sold out almost instantly last year, with fans left battling tech issues after the Ticketmaster website was overwhelmed by demand, resulting in an investigation into their system.

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