Shake it off: Seismic activity during Taylor Swift Dublin gigs detected as far away as Wexford

Researchers detected seismic activity as far away as Co Wexford during one of Taylor Swift’s sold out Aviva Stadium shows late last month.

Ahead of the concerts, researchers at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) set up 21 seismometers outside the stadium in order to monitor seismic activity – such as vibrations, shaking or tremors caused by a release of energy passing through the Earth’s surface.

The research team found that, during the first of the three shows, seismic activity caused by 50,000 fans during Swift’s performance of 2014 hit Shake It Off was detected by a seismometer over 100km away in Co Wexford.

Using data from the 21 seismometers placed in the Aviva Stadium vicinity, the team found that the first concert generated the most seismic activity, yielding an output of 5,600 joules. Fans generated 5,500 joules and 5,250 joules in subsequent shows, researchers said.

Swift’s performances of Love Story, from her 2008 album Fearless, generated the largest seismic waves during the three concerts, according to the research.

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Although seismic activity was detected by various seismometers, Eleanor Dunn, lead researcher and PhD candidate at DIAS, noted that movement generated by the concert “was unlikely to have been felt by anyone other than those in the immediate vicinity”.

“My goal for this research is to create a greater understanding of seismic activity,” she said.

“The opportunity to explore a seismic activity created by a different kind of phenomenon has been really interesting and shows how seismicity happens every day without us knowing.”

Similar seismic events during Taylor Swift concerts, dubbed “Swift Quake”, have been detected in other cities during the blockbuster Eras tour, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and London.