Geologists Are Going to Measure Seattle Seahawk Fans’ Feetquake

Seattle Seahawks fans cheer in the stands, Sept. 21, 2014. Tom Hauck/AP

Seattle is one of the most seismically active cities in the country. But this Saturday, rather than the local fault lines or a nearby volcano, geologists there will be focused on a football game. That’s because Seahawks fans are so rowdy that CenturyLink Field has been equipped with earthquake monitoring sensors.

The sensors are mostly a novelty as far as the game is concerned (though the readings might be of interest to structural engineers), but will allow seismologists to test technologies for monitoring real quakes. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which is in charge of the sensors, will use the experience to inform their work with the USGS in creating an early warning system for quakes in the region. A beta version of the early warning system is being rolled out later this year to some businesses and public agencies.

“We’re mostly interested in the speed and the reliability of the communications,” said John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, in a press release. For Saturday’s test case, the agency has created a website called QuickShake where fans will be able to see how much the stadium is shaking at any given moment. “It’s hard to simulate thousands of people using this tool all at once. When we can get a lot of people looking, we can see problems that we’d encounter during an actual earthquake,” Vidale said. The website is so fast—it could show readings in as little as three seconds—that fans at home could use it to predict big plays before they see them broadcast on TV, where there is a 10 second delay. The researchers even have a name for this: “Early Football Rowdiness Warnings.”

Scientists have installed three seismometers: HWK1 is at field level, HWK on the second level, and HWK on the upper deck. KDK is the seismometer down the block that picked up the original “Beast Quake.” Pacific Northwest Seismic Network

In addition to testing the early warning system, scientists will be watching for discrepancies between the three sensors, which are placed at different stadium levels. The researchers will also be watching for tremors from fans dancing during commercial breaks.

This Saturday the Seahawks are heavily favored against Carolina Panthers, a wild card team that entered the playoffs with one of the worst records in the league. The Seahawks are defending Super Bowl champs, have defeated the Panthers in their last three matchups, and have a defense that many pundits are calling the best of all time. All this could add up to some seismic plays, at least as far as the fans are concerned.

Scientists first got interested in the rumbling of the Seahawks nation in 2011. In a postseason game against the New Orleans Saints, running back Marshawn Lynch ran a 67 yard touchdown, breaking through nine tackles on his way to the end zone. The stomping and jumping from crazed fans was so intense that it lit up a nearby seismometer. At its peak, the so-called “Beast Quake” shook the sensor about 1/100th of a millimeter, with an acceleration of about 1/20,000th of earth’s gravity.

This is somewhat impressive, but comes nowhere close to a real earthquake, which would do more than simply rattle a few sensors. Many experts believe the region is due for a major earthquake, though on geologic time scales we might be more likely to see the Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl.