Watch: Taylor Swift's Concert Yet Again Shakes The Earth, Literally

Taylor Swift's electrifying concert in Edinburgh brought about an astonishing phenomenon as her fervent fans danced with such intensity that it generated seismic activity resembling an earthquake on June 7 and 9. The British Geographic Survey dubbed the phenomenon as 'Quake It Off', a play on Swift's song 2014 hit Shake It Off. According to the organisation, seismometers recorded earthquake readings being detected up to six kilometres from the venue. The seismic activity was particularly triggered during three songs, …Ready For It?, Cruel Summer, and Champagne Problems. The UK edition of Eras Tour has reportedly seen 'ground shaking' attendance, going over 73,000 attendees in a single day.

This is not the first time that Swifties' energetic dancing and sheers at their idol's concert have shaken the Earth (literally). In July 2023, Swift's concert in Seattle caused registered seismic activity of up to 2.2 magnitude. The incident playfully came to be known as Swift Shake. In 2011, a similar occurrence was witnessed at an NFL Wild Card game, which was named Beast Quake.

Fans Dance Cause Earthquake At Taylor Swift Concert 

According to the British Geographic Survey, Taylor Swift fans triggered seismic activity up to six kilometres from the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on June 7 and 9. Reportedly, the activity reached its peak at 160 beats per minute (bpm) during …Ready For It?, where the crowd was transmitting approximately 80 kW of power (equivalent to around 10-16 car batteries).

Based on the maximum amplitude of motion (the distance the ground moves), the event on June 7 was the most energetic by a small margin, recording 23.4 nanometres (nm) of movement, versus 22.8 nm and 23.3 nm on June 8 and 9 respectively. The BGS reported that while the seismometer caught the readings, it's unlikely that the vibrations were felt by anyone.

In 2023, the US witnessed earthquake-like readings during a Taylor Swift concert in Seattle. The revelation about the ground-shaking dance extravaganza comes courtesy of Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a prominent geology professor at Western Washington University. After meticulously analysing the data, she confirmed that the tremors unleashed by the fans' dancing were akin to an earthquake registering a magnitude of 2.3, according to CNN's report.

Astonishingly, this seismic display by the Swifties outdid the legendary "Beast Quake," which rocked Seattle during a thrilling moment in an NFC Wild Card game in 2011. The unforgettable incident took place when die-hard Seattle Seahawks fans erupted into jubilation following football player Marshawn Lynch's awe-inspiring touchdown against the New Orleans Saints.

Lynch's explosive performance earned him the moniker "Beast Mode," and the seismic event was aptly named after him. However, the data revealed that Swift's fans managed to create tremors that were twice as intense as those experienced during the "Beast Quake." In a fascinating revelation, Professor Caplan-Auerbach pointed out that the similarity between the two seismic events was uncanny.

Overlaying the data from both nights - Taylor Swift's concert and the NFL game - she was astounded to discover that they exhibited nearly identical patterns of signals. "I grabbed the data from both nights of the concert and quickly noticed they were clearly the same pattern of signals. I overlay them on top of each other, they're nearly identical," she revealed during an interview with CNN.

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 disparity between the two occurrences, according to the geology expert, lies in the duration of the tremors. While the seismic activity during the football game subsided relatively quickly after the initial eruption of cheers, the concert's tremors persisted for a more extended period. 

The unyielding energy collected over 10 hours, with the crowd driven by the music, the beat, and their collective enthusiasm, was responsible for creating a prolonged shaking effect in the ground.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Despite the seismic surprise, Taylor Swift expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her fans for their incredible support and unrestrained excitement during the Eras Tour concert held at the Lumen Field stadium on July 22 and 23, 2023. Taking to her Instagram account, the global superstar described the weekend in Seattle as "genuinely one of my favourite weekends ever" and warmly thanked her fans for their unwavering devotion.