It seems the Seattle Swifties aren't the only fans who know how to achieve seismic proportions.
A recent study by Caltech researchers found that Taylor Swift fans in Los Angeles also caused earthquake-like activity when the superstar took over Inglewood's SoFi Stadium for six nights in August. Caltech seismologist Gabrielle Tepp supervised the study, titled “Shake to the Beat: Exploring seismic signals and stadium response from concerts and music fans.”
Swift's show from August 5, 2023, the third night of her SoFi mini-residency, was at the center of the study, released Wednesday. The “Shake It Off” star played to an audience of approximately 70,000 fans, who sang and danced to dozens of her hits. Signals from the show were recorded at seismic network stations within a 9-kilometer (about 5.6 mile) radius of the stadium, and at “strong motion sensors placed near and within the stadium,” the summary says.
A statement about the study said Tepp and his fellow researchers were able to identify “the seismic signature” of each song performed at the hour-long concert. Caltech also found that the seismic activity was likely the result of the “dancing and jumping moves” of Swift's SoFi audience, not the beats and reverberations emanating from the stadium's sound system.
The Caltech researchers also calculated the “radiated energy” of each song in terms of the same magnitude of the earthquake. Swift's upbeat “Shake It Off” resulted in the “highest local magnitude of 0.851,” according to the study.
“You have to keep in mind that this energy was released in a few minutes, compared to one second in an earthquake of that size,” Tepp explained. “Based on the maximum strength of the tremor, the strongest tremor was equivalent to a magnitude 2 earthquake.”
Swift fans in Seattle reportedly danced, jumped and shook so much in July that a nearby seismometer compared their activity to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake, the Seattle Times reported. This “Swift Earthquake” prompted the California Office of Emergency Services to gauge research interest among its seismic network operators for Swift's SoFi programs. Responding to the call, Tepp and his colleagues installed motion sensors inside the Inglewood stadium before Swift's arrival.
Since its launch in March 2023, Swift's ongoing Eras tour has generated more than just scientific studies. The Eras tour reportedly boosted local economies, broke tour revenue records, and earned Swift a spot in the billionaires' club.
“This is the proudest and happiest I've ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I've ever been,” Swift said of her tour when she was named Time magazine's 2023 Person of the Year in December.
