Seattle has witnessed seismic events before, like the historic 'Beast Quake' in 2011 when Marshawn Lynch's touchdown set off an earthquake due to the thunderous cheers from the crowd. However, history has been rewritten as Taylor Swift fans, known as 'Swifties,' have now surpassed that seismic activity after two electrifying nights of screaming and dancing at Lumen Field in Seattle. The seismic activity caught the attention of Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a geology professor at Western Washington University, who came across a comparison between the two events in a Pacific Northwest earthquake Facebook group. Intrigued by the question of whether the Taylor Swift concerts could generate a 'Beast Quake,' she enthusiastically took on the task of analyzing the seismic data.

Pulling data from the two nights of concerts, Jackie observed a remarkable phenomenon. Not only did the ground shake during the concerts, but it shook rhythmically in almost identical patterns each night, almost like a heartbeat synchronized with the music. The data revealed an interesting detail - there was a delay of approximately 26 minutes between the seismic activity and the events at the concert. Comparing the seismic activity of Seahawks fans and Swifties proved to be a bit challenging due to the larger size of Taylor Swift's audience, the on-field performance, and the synchronized movements of the crowd. However, the results were unequivocal - the Swifties triumphed in seismic activity. Jackie explained, "This was much bigger than the Beast Quake in terms of the raw amplitude of shaking, and it went on for a whole lot longer. Of course, the Beast Quake was a moment in time, but thus far, the Swifties really have Seahawks fans beat. Quantifying the difference in magnitude between the two events, Jackie found that one 'Swift Quake' was approximately twice as powerful as a 'Beast Quake,' equating to a 0.3 quake magnitude difference.

It's important to note that while the Beast Quake lasted only a few seconds, the Taylor Swift concerts extended into hours of continuous excitement. Beyond the seismic analysis, Jackie also made an intriguing observation - a low hum that was beyond the range of human hearing. She suspects this may be caused by the collective movements of dancing fans. Eager to investigate further, she is now attempting to gather information about the start time of each specific song from the concert videos. This scientific experiment not only celebrates the exuberance of Swifties and Seahawks fans but also serves as an engaging way to spark excitement about science in a fun and accessible manner. Jackie hopes her research will inspire people to explore the fascinating connections between human activities and the world around us. In summary, the 'Swift Quake' has outshined the 'Beast Quake,' becoming a new milestone in Seattle's seismic history. The power of music, combined with the collective energy of devoted fans, has once again shown that human passion can move the Earth, figuratively and literally.