The record-breaking crowds at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Edinburgh, Scotland, over the weekend set off seismic activity that could be detected miles away, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS).
Seismic monitoring stations around Edinburgh, which normally detect earthquake activity, picked up the “ground shaking” crowds dancing it off from up to six kilometers, or about 3.7 miles, away from Murrayfield Stadium.
BGS said seismic activity during each of the three concerts followed a similar pattern, with the songs “…Ready For It?”, “Cruel Summer” and “champagne problems” generating the most activity.
Analysis showed “the most enthusiastic dancing” occurred on Friday night, based on the maximum amplitude of motion, or the distance the ground moves. The ground jumped 23.4 nanometers on Friday night, versus 22.8 nm on Saturday and 23.3 nm on Sunday.
Fans dancing to the beat of the music reached a peak of 160 beats per minute during “…Ready For It?”, transmitting around 80 kilowatts of power, or the equivalent of around 10–16 car batteries.
“BGS is the national body responsible for recording earthquakes,” BGS seismologist Callum Harrison said in a statement. “It’s amazing that we’ve been able to measure the reaction of thousands of concert goers remotely through our data. The opportunity to explore a seismic activity created by a different kind of phenomenon has been a thrill. Clearly Scotland’s reputation for providing some of the most enthusiastic audiences remains well intact!”
On Monday, June 10, Swift confirmed each of her three shows at Murrayfield Stadium broke attendance records in Scotland. The stadium normally has a seating capacity of 67,144 for its primary use as a rugby field, but for the concerts there were also standing tickets.
“Edinburgh!!! You truly blew me away this weekend. Thank you for breaking the all-time attendance record for a stadium show in Scotland 3 times in a row and for all the ways you made us feel right at home,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “Love you, all 220,000 of you!!!”
Story via TMX