Mexico’s victory over Ecuador made the earth shake. Was it an artificial earthquake?

Literally the earth The lights were on after the two goals that helped Mexico beat Ecuador in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. The Mexican digital platform for Early Warning and Comprehensive Risk Management (SASSLA) reported that fan celebrations following goals by Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez caused a “large artificial signal” recorded by a Raspberry Shake seismometer located near Mexico City’s stadium. The seismic warning system noted on its social media accounts that “the outburst of euphoria and collective cheering caused tremors in the local area.”

This phenomenon can occur thousands of miles away from the venue of the matches. When Mexico defeated Germany in the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, the Mexican Institute of Geological and Atmospheric Research reported that following Hirving Lozano’s winning goal, a seismic signal of artificial origin, “possibly caused by mass jumping”, was detected in Mexico.

Geophysicists also monitored vibrations in the city of Bergen, Norway, during the past few weeks, whenever the country’s national team scored goals during group stage matches in North America.

Something similar happened in 2024, when a Taylor Swift concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles generated long-duration, low-frequency signals — with a peak harmonic frequency between 1 and 10 Hz — that were detected by seismic sensors.

For several years, the term “artificial earthquake” has been used in the media to describe vibrations recorded by seismic systems during sporting events or large-scale performances. However, experts say this term is not a good description of the phenomenon.

In fact, artificial earthquakes exist and have been the subject of study for decades. Research conducted by the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham University defines these earthquakes as “human-induced earthquakes,” caused by activities capable of changing the geological behavior of the Earth, such as the construction of high-rise buildings, groundwater extraction, tunneling, enhanced oil recovery, hydraulic fracturing, or underground gas storage.

Experts explain that for a ground movement to be classified as an earthquake, it must be linked to a geological process. Just because a seismograph registers a disturbance does not mean it is an earthquake.

Arturo Iglesias, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, explained several years ago that although human activity generates movements that can be recorded by seismometers, this does not mean that they are actual geological phenomena that can be measured using seismic magnitudes or cause changes in the Earth’s interior.

Iglesias added that seismic monitoring systems are able to detect subtle movements in the ground, whether they are of natural origin or resulting from human activities. He also pointed out that its readings could be affected by factors such as the location of the stations, the characteristics of the terrain, or the intensity of some activities taking place on the surface.

“Even if someone jumps next to a sensor, it will be detected, but it is not an earthquake. An earthquake caused by the sporadic activity of fans is just a joke,” Iglesias emphasizes.

However, unusual vibrations caused by the simultaneous movement of thousands of people — as occurred after the Mexican national team scored on Tuesday — are becoming an increasingly important area of ​​research.

Experts stress that a better understanding of these signals will enable the development of more accurate methods for analyzing seismic activity and facilitate the distinction between different types of vibrations recorded by devices. Moreover, this knowledge could enhance emerging applications, such as seismic interferometry, a technique that harnesses vibrations produced by everyday sources to study the structure of the subsurface without the need for controlled explosions or waiting for a natural earthquake to occur.

This article originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish It was translated from Spanish.