P1 6 We Will Rock You (But Not That Much): Estimating the Seismic Energy of a Rock Concert Crowd

Abstract

This paper estimates the number of people required to generate, through rhythmic stomping, the same amount of energy as a small earthquake. Using Queen’s iconic ’We Will Rock You’ as a model, we approximate the kinetic energy released per stomp and compare it with the seismic energy of a magnitude 3.0 earthquake. We find that 295 million people would need to stomp in unison for the duration of the song to simulate a minor earthquake.