The recent goal by the Mexican national team against Ecuador in the 2026 World Cup triggered such an outburst of joy that seismographs thousands of miles away recorded vibrations. This phenomenon is not new; in 2018, after Mexico defeated Germany in Russia, the Mexican Institute of Geological and Atmospheric Research reported an artificial seismic signal possibly caused by mass jumping by fans. But does this mean we can call it an earthquake? Experts say a clear no.
Why fan vibrations are not a geological earthquake
According to Arturo Iglesias, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, human activity generates movements detectable by seismographs, but these do not correspond to true geological phenomena. "Even if a person jumps next to a sensor, it's detected, but it's not an earthquake. An earthquake caused by scattered fan activity is a joke," Iglesias emphasizes. Real artificial earthquakes, as studied by the Department of Geosciences at Durham University, are human-induced by activities like high-rise building construction, groundwater extraction, tunnel excavation, hydraulic fracturing, or underground gas storage. None of these relate to sports celebrations.
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From football to music: Taylor Swift and Norwegian seismographs
Football is not the only trigger. In 2024, a Taylor Swift concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles generated long-duration low-frequency signals with harmonic peaks between 1 and 10 Hz, detected by seismic monitoring sensors. Similarly, in recent weeks, geophysicists in Bergen, Norway, detected vibrations every time the Norwegian national team scored during the group stage in North America. These events show how the synchronized movement of thousands of people creates a recognizable seismic wave, but one that is not comparable to a real earthquake.
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A growing research field: sports seismology
Despite their non-geological nature, studying stadium shakes is becoming relevant. Researchers believe that better understanding these signals will lead to more precise methods for analyzing seismic activity and distinguishing different vibration sources. Moreover, this knowledge could enhance emerging applications like seismic interferometry, a technique that uses everyday vibrations to study subsurface structure without controlled explosions or waiting for natural earthquakes. As discussed in the related article Mexican fans shook the ground. Now let's use that data for something real, these data could be harnessed for geophysical research.
Between sensationalism and science: terminological precision matters
Media often label stadium vibrations as "artificial earthquakes," but experts urge terminological precision. For ground movement to be classified as an earthquake, it must be associated with a geological process. The mere fact that a seismograph records a disturbance does not make it an earthquake. Iglesias reiterates: seismic monitoring systems detect micro-movements from any origin, and readings can be influenced by station location, terrain characteristics, or surface activity intensity. For the scientific perspective, see the original article on WIRED Mexico's Victory Over Ecuador Made the Ground Shake. Was It an Artificial Earthquake?. Ultimately, fan enthusiasm can make the ground tremble, but it is not an earthquake.
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Source: https://www.wired.com/story/mexicos-victory-over-ecuador-artificial-earthquake
