Swiftie earthquake possible?

Taylor Swift fans are known to shake it off during her concerts, and with more than tens of thousands of Swifties in Vancouver next month, experts are expecting seismic activity.

Fans of all ages will head to BC Place for three Eras Tour shows on Dec. 6, 7 and 8. 

John Cassidy is an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada and says it’s a great question if Swifties will cause an earthquake. 

“We’re getting asked about that,” says Cassidy. 

An earthquake is the slipping of fault zones, which can result in ground shaking. Cassidy says there will likely be seismic activity and ground shaking, but no earthquakes.

Ground shaking can be detected by seismometers, which have chip technology and often sit on the floor. Anything that shakes the ground does have the potential to be detected by seismometers, Cassidy tells Glacier Media.  

“These seismometers can also record ships going by, wind storms, sonic booms, low-flying aircraft,” he says. 

Where you are in the concert will determine how much ground shaking is felt. 

“These concerts, especially the Taylor Swift concert, with so many people in a small area, jumping up and down, dancing, clapping, that generates some strong signals,” Cassidy says.

During the song "Shake It Off" in Seattle, the synchronized jumping and swaying of Swifties caused the ground to shake at Lumen Field. More than 70,000 fans attended the concert, which at the time, set the stadium’s attendance record.  

Seismologist Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach studied the ground shaking during the two Seattle Taylor Swift concerts in July 2023. She also works at the Western Washington University as a geology professor.

At the same location, an NFL game in 2011 caused a seismic signal that became known as the "Beast Quake." Caplan-Auerbach discovered the maximum shaking during the Taylor Swift concert exceeded the Beast Quake.

"We show that the strongest seismic signals correlate with fan behaviour and conclude that, indeed, fans at the Taylor Swift concert were the chief cause of ground shaking,” says Caplan-Auerbach.

The NFL Beast Quake was shorter in duration and roughly 2.5 times weaker in amplitude than Taylor’s version of Beast Quake. 

Caplan-Auerbach found that thousands were on the field for the concert, where their energy could couple directly into the ground, whereas football fans were mostly confined to the stands.

BC Place is built on relatively soft soil, and there is rock not too far below, Cassidy explains. Sound can also impact the amount of ground shaking people will feel. 

“There's an opportunity here, some science and some engineering, that can come from this,” he says. “Where you learn about how buildings, people and sound waves interact and how local soil conditions can contribute to all of that.”

The closest seismic station to BC Place is Queen Elizabeth Park, about four kilometres away. Cassidy does not believe much ground shaking will be felt that far away. 

City will be monitoring for noise complaints

A City of Vancouver spokesperson says they’re thrilled Taylor Swift is coming to Vancouver.

“We know how much fans are looking forward to an 'Enchanted' night,” says the spokesperson. 

"We want everyone to have an unforgettable experience, enjoying the concert and celebrating together. At the same time, we understand concerts can bring extra noise.”

The City of Vancouver will be monitoring for noise complaints and says it is up to event organizers to follow the city’s noise bylaws. 

A spokesperson with BC Place tells Glacier Media that "BC Place works closely with event organizers to ensure events inside and outside the stadium are compliant with the City of Vancouver's bylaws.”

Fans are ready for it 

Tatiana Correa is attending night two of the Vancouver concert on Dec. 7 with her nieces and is ready for it, when it comes to noise.

“We’ll be having too much fun to notice any shaking,” she says. 

She considers herself a Swiftie and has been to more than seven concerts. Correa began listening to Swift when she was 15 years old.

“We are six months apart, so I feel like I've really grown up with her,” says Correa. “Every day we have her in our playlist here at work. I’m in the .005 per cent of listeners on Spotify."

Besides her music and poetic lyrics, Correa’s love for Taylor runs deep.

“She's made it OK for us to be quirky and silly and be unapologetically in love with being a Swiftie and her music... It's that that has like completely drawn me [in], and I think draws millions upon millions of people,” she says. 

“She brings people together, from kids to 80-year-olds.” 

In order to secure tickets, Correa had 30 people signed up for the pre-sale. It wasn’t until the second ticket release that she scored tickets in the fifth row on the floor.

“It's very special because I took my older niece, who's now in her 20s, to her first concert when she was 10,” she says. 

This time, she’s taking her 11 and 13-year-old nieces to their first concert.

“It's very serendipitous that I've been able to share this not with one of my nieces, but now with all of them, which is really special,” Correa says.

Each ticket cost $1,100, adds the superfan. 

“The experience is more important than any dollar would ever be to see her,” she says. 

She's hoping her wildest dream can come true of also attending the last show on Dec. 8, if she can get a ticket.

Correa says Taylor Swift prices her tickets so that people can afford to attend her shows, with the lowest price being $49, but reselling tickets is causing some to miss out. 

“With the resale, what that means is that you don't necessarily have the biggest fans attending her concert. You have the people who can afford to attend the concert. And so, it's unfortunate.” 

On Wednesday, the cheapest ticket on Stubhub for the Dec. 8 show was listed for $3,247; the most expensive was $17,207. For her Dec. 7 show, the cheapest ticket was $2,598 and the most expensive was $23,254. 

When it comes to the noise, Correa is planning on wearing earplugs to protect her ears. 

"It is very loud. People get very excited and very emotional. So I expect it to be extremely loud,” she says. 

Being at the concert is an unexplainable feeling for the Vancouver resident.

“It’s almost like community therapy,” she says. “I hope everyone has the best night.”