Earthquake-Inducing Fans: Swift's Scotland Shows
Swifties, the devoted fans of Taylor Swift, have once again made headlines, this time for their incredible dancing prowess. During the singer's recent Eras tour stops in Edinburgh, Scotland, the fans' energetic moves were so intense that they actually triggered local earthquake monitors.
According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), seismic activity was recorded up to six kilometers away from the Murrayfield Stadium, where Swift performed three shows last weekend. The spikes in activity were particularly noticeable during the performance of her hit song "...Ready For It?", with fans transmitting enough power through their dancing to charge 6,000 car batteries, or around 80 kilowatts.
The BGS seismologist, Callum Harrison, stated that the enthusiasm of the Scottish audience was evident, saying, "Clearly Scotland's reputation for providing some of the most enthusiastic audiences remains intact!"
Other popular Swift songs, such as "Cruel Summer," "Champagne Problems," and "Shake It Off," also caused significant seismic activity throughout the three-night concert series. One attendee, Bethan Bryan, described the experience as "fantastically loud," adding that it was "amazing to hear everyone sing along. 73,000 people singing for three and a half hours - everyone was so happy."
Interestingly, the Friday night show was the most energetic, with the fans' movements generating 23.4 nanometers (nm) of ground movement. This surpassed the seismic activity generated by the concerts of other superstars like Beyoncé, Harry Styles, and Bruce Springsteen, who performed in Edinburgh in May 2023.
The BGS seismologist, Callum Harrison, expressed his excitement about the opportunity to study this unique phenomenon, stating, "The opportunity to explore a seismic activity created by a different kind of phenomenon has been a thrill."
While the concerts were detected by the BGS instruments, the vibrations were unlikely to have been felt by anyone other than those in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm and energy of the Swifties have once again proven that they are a force to be reckoned with, even to the point of triggering earthquake monitors.
