Taylor Swift and her fans have broken another record — this time of seismic proportions. During Swift's two-night Eras Tour stop at Seattle's Lumen Field last weekend, a geology professor from Western Washington University calculated that the concerts "caused seismic activity equivalent of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake."
Jackie Caplan-Auerbach told CNN that she decided to look into the "Swift Quake" after she saw comparisons to the "Beast Quake" in a Pacific Northwest Facebook group. The "Beast Quake" refers to a 2011 seismic event that occurred after Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch scored a critical touchdown during a playoff game. Caplan-Auerbach found that the magnitude of Swift's performances was .3 higher on the Richter scale than the "Beast Quake," and the shaking was "twice as strong." There were 72,171 fans in attendance at her Saturday show, shattering yet another venue record, according to The Guardian.
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
The data from Swift's two performances is largely consistent, except for the 26-minute delay for Sunday's show and the two surprise songs that she changes up every night. Swift's Seattle shows come toward the end of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, with only 8 more dates across California left before she heads to Latin America.
Having been in attendance at her May 27 MetLife Stadium performance, I can say that causing an entire stadium to shake is no doubt a part of the Eras Tour experience. Swifties have even been tracking which audience can cheer the longest after she sings "Champagne Problems." (My show is currently No. 1, having cheered for nearly four minutes straight.) Before the "Swift Quake," the Foo Fighters and Garth Brooks played shows that reached earthquake levels.
