Taylor Swift recently shook the world with the announcement of her engagement to football star Travis Kelce. But long before that, her Eras Tour concerts were shaking things up in a different way – by causing seismic events.
These seismic events, known as SwiftQuakes, inspired an entire branch of geophysics interested in analyzing the seismic activity caused by fans attending Swift’s Eras Tour. A new study, published in the International Journal of Science Education, not only examined Swift’s seismic activity but also is the first to highlight the power of celebrity and pop culture events to help generate public interest in science.
“This study demonstrates that integrating popular cultural events into scientific research can create accessible and exciting avenues for public engagement, transforming audiences into active participants in scientific discovery,” said lead author Eleanor Dunn, from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, in a press release.
Measuring the SwiftQuake
In June of 2024, Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium for three nights. Each night, upwards of 50,000 fans piled into the stadium, jumping and dancing along to every song.
To track the seismic activity that the Swifties created, the research team placed 42 temporary seismometers across 21 locations at the stadium. These seismometers recorded the activity during each concert, which were then compared and averaged to ensure the reported levels of activity were correct.
The most consistent seismic activity that took place across all three nights was near the end of the song “Love Story.” However, the most surprising reading came during Swift’s hit “Shake It Off.”
Scientists compared their seismic readings to those from the Irish National Seismic Network, specifically those from the Dublin mountains and in Wexford. These comparisons showed that the seismic activity from the concert reached distances of over 60 miles during “Shake It Off,” proving that the SwiftQuakes were as far-reaching as Swift's star power.
Read More: Does Taylor Swift Hold the Key to the Destiny of the Universe?
Inspiring a New Generation of Scientists
While the SwiftQuake data is impressive in itself, the public interest surrounding the seismic monitoring in Dublin surprised scientists. They found that their social and traditional media discussions around seismic activity sparked an interest in science with the younger generation.
Additionally, fans who attended the concert were encouraged to submit their concert videos to help aid the study, which allowed concertgoers to directly participate in the research and piqued their interest in the results even further.
The public success of the Dublin SwiftQuake study shows that scientists should be looking to pop culture and major cultural events to facilitate science communication. These large-scale events can be used to encourage people to get involved in citizen science projects and help them understand complicated scientific topics, like seismology.
“This project was an incredible opportunity to bridge the gap between celebrity pop culture and scientific inquiry,” said Dunn in the press release. “Witnessing the public’s enthusiasm, especially from Swifties, for understanding how their collective energy translated into measurable seismic waves was truly inspiring. It showed us that science is all around us, even in our favorite music events.”
Read More: Do You Live Near an Earthquake Zone? You Might Be Surprised
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- International Journal of Science Education. Are you ready for it? Harnessing celebrity influence for science communication and seismology – The Taylor Swift effect
