Shake it off: Can Swifties really register on earthquake sensors?
SACRAMENTO – The Taylor Swift concerts in Santa Clara on Friday and Saturday are not only being watched by thousands of fans, they're also being monitored by seismologists.
So, could "Swifties" pack enough energy to register on earthquake sensors?
"It's certainly possible, with tens of thousands of screaming fans cheering in unison in one place, that it could cause a small localized event," said Jon Gudel with the California Office of Emergency Services.
Her concert last weekend in Seattle registered a magnitude-2.3 on a local seismometer.
We asked CSU Northridge seismologist Julian Lozos if there could be trouble when she walks in.
"No, this is just a bunch of people having a great time on the very, very surface of the Earth," Lozos said. "And the forces that control earthquakes are much deeper down than that, so there's not going to be an actual earthquake from that."
He says in these eras of scientific research, things like wind or traffic can also be detected by earthquake sensors.
"So, certainly, a very loud thing like people responding to a Taylor Swift concert can as well," Lozos said.
So people who are concerned can shake it off. Experts don't expect it to be even strong enough to trigger California's MyShake early warning app.
"There is a threshold, the magnitude has to be 4.5 or higher," Gudel said.
But CalOES says it's a good reminder that earthquakes can happen at any time – even Taylor Swift isn't too busy to get knocked off her feet.
"Here in California, since it's a disaster-prone state, you've got to be ready [for] anything," Gudel said.
We've been regularly checking the USGS website and as of 10 p.m. no earthquakes have been registered.
