It’ll surely be rocking at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday when the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL playoff matchup. But will it be “Beast Quake” rocking?
Seismic sensors installed at the stadium this week will determine whether the 12s — the Seahawks’ energetic fan base — can move the earth while cheering for the team.
It’s the latest scientific study with a sports tie-in from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), an organization that monitors earthquakes and volcanoes in Washington and Oregon.
On Monday, a PNSN field operations team installed six stations throughout Lumen Field to capture seismic energy produced by the collective movement of fans.
“With these six seismometers, we have Lumen Field ‘wired up’ and we can record exactly how the excitement of the crowd leads to shaking of the ground, much like an earthquake does,” PNSN Director Harold Tobin at the University of Washington said in a news release. “We expect the massive crowd of 12s to generate measurable seismic energy. It’s a fun way to show the world exactly how much, in a scientific way, and to learn something about the seismic waves in the process.”
The project builds on previous in-stadium deployments during Seahawks playoff games in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Marshawn Lynch’s legendary Beast Quake run against the New Orleans Saints was recorded in 2011.
Last fall, PNSN recorded the shaking down the street at T-Mobile Park during the Mariners’ historic playoff run. Seismic activity was recorded when Jorge Polanco hit a game-winning single to win a 15-inning marathon against the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the American League Division Series and when Geno Suárez hit a grand slam in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Based at the UW within the College of the Environment, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network operates over 700 seismic stations across Washington and Oregon.
PNSN will stream results Saturday through real-time seismograms available on pnsn.org during the Seahawks game. PNSN’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Bluesky will also share updates.
Related:
- Will Seahawks fans have reason to cheer against 49ers? Stadium cameras will capture the reaction
