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Seismic activity in Seattle could’ve been caused by Taylor Swift fans

Taylor Swift performs during the opener of her Eras tour, Friday, March 17, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Taylor Swift’s pair of concerts in Seattle last weekend may have caused more than just an emotional ground-shaking in the Emerald City.

Fans at Swift’s “The Eras Tour” may have been screaming, crying and jumping so loud during the American singer’s Saturday and Sunday shows that they caused an earth-shaking equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. 

A local geology professor at Western Washington University, Jackie Captain-Auerbach, said she observed the shaking over a 10-hour period for each concert to compare their seismic activity to the 2011 “Beast Quake,” a moment of notable fan-caused earth-shaking after former Seahawks player Marshawn Lynch scored a stunning touchdown during a major game.

“The shaking was twice as strong as ‘Beast Quake,’” Captain-Auerbach told CNN. “It absolutely doubled it.”

Lumen Field, the home of sports teams the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders Football Club (FC) and Swift’s recent concerts has a history of loudness. In 2013, Seahawks fans broke the noise record for the “loudest outdoor sports stadium” on multiple occasions at what was known at the time as “CenturyLink Field.”

Sports stadium-shaking is not completely unusual during noteworthy game moments or big-name concerts. A Garth Brooks concert in Baton Rouge, La. was reportedly captured on a local seismograph last year, as well. 

Tags earthquake Garth Brooks NFL Seattle Taylor Swift The Eras Tour

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