“Jump, dance, tap your feet.” This is a message we often hear at concerts. Message that may have consequences on seismic life. Gathering thousands of people in a stadium and serenading them with music can cause an earthquake. A well-known phenomenon, but to which researchers from the Seismological Society of America and New Atlas magazine added a touch of originality: in a study, they determined which musical stars shook the planet the most.
And it’s Taylor Swift who came in first place. During a concert at Lumen Field stadium in Seattle on July 22, 2023, the American musician brought together 72,171 fans. According to Western Washington University geology professor Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, the crowd of “Swifties” triggered an earthquake measuring 2.3 on the Richter scale.
Taylor Swift is not alone in shaking the earth, Travis Scott fans are also having a lot of fun. More than 60,000 Italian fans of the rapper gathered at Rome’s Circus Maximus during a concert on August 7, 2023, causing significant seismic tremors. According to geophysics researcher Giovanni DiFeria, these tremors will reach a magnitude of 1.3.
A podium was completed by a lesser known name: Garth Brooks. The country singer blows up Tiger Stadium and its 102,000 fans in Baton Rouge on April 30, 2022. A performance that exceeded 95 decibels and alarmed seismic surveys conducted by Cody Worsham.
Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC round out the top five. The rocker blasted the counters of Spanish seismologist Jordia Diaz during his concert in Barcelona on May 14, 2016, especially during the song Shout. AC/DC reached 103 decibels during a performance at Auckland Stadium on December 15, 2015. A concert was heard up to six kilometers away.
One of the top five for metal fans. According to data from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the Metallica-style headlining group is the one that causes the fewest aftershocks.
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