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Taylor Swift fans created equivalent of 2.3 magnitude earthquake during Seattle concert


FILE - Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour," Friday, May 5, 2023, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.{ } (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour," Friday, May 5, 2023, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
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Seattle Swifties may have taken "Shake It Off" a little to literally.

CNN reported Friday that Taylor Swift fans caused seismic activity at Lumen Field equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, according to seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a geology professor at Western Washington University. The "Swift Quake" is being compared to the 2011 "Beast Quake," in which Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch's postseason touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints caused seismic activity from raucous fans.

Though the difference between "Swift Quake" and "Beast Quake" is only 0.3 on the scale, Caplan-Auerbach said Swifties edge the Seahawks fans because "the shaking was twice as strong," CNN reported. "It absolutely doubled it," Caplan-Auerbach said, adding that the primary difference was the duration of the shaking.

A post-touchdown celebration typically lasts a couple of seconds, while a concert — especially two in as many nights from one of the biggest stars in the world — does not.

Swift performed her "The Eras Tour" shows at Lumen Field on July 22-23.

“What I love is to be able to share that this is science,” Caplan-Auerbach told CNN, adding that “it doesn’t have to happen in a lab with a white coat. Everyday observations and experiences are science.”

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