The Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has confirmed that seismic stations across Spain, including those in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, recorded vibrations during Ferran Torres' goal in the World Cup final.
The goal by Ferran Torres in extra time of the World Cup final not only unleashed euphoria in homes across the province of Barcelona. It was also captured by the seismometers of the Educational Seismic Network of GEO3BCN-CSIC, which detected movements in municipalities such as Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Mollet del Vallès, Barcelona, Banyoles, Olot, and Torroella de Montgrí. The Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) released data on Monday confirming that the collective celebration generated measurable seismic waves.
Vibrations at three key moments of the final
Scientists from the Geological and Cartographic Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) and the National Geographic Institute (IGN), led by researcher Jordi Díaz from Geosciences Barcelona (GEO3BCN-CSIC), identified up to three peaks of vibration during the broadcast of the match. The first coincided with the goal by Ferran Torres, which made millions of fans jump in unison. The second occurred with a VAR disallowed goal, when joy momentarily froze. The third, the most intense of all, came with the final whistle that confirmed the second star for the Spanish national team.
In the province of Barcelona, the sensors of the educational network clearly captured the tremors. Santa Coloma de Gramenet was one of the points where the instruments recorded peaks of movement, demonstrating that football passion translated into physical energy detectable from kilometers away. During the semi-final against France, the same equipment had already anticipated the phenomenon in Sabadell.
A known phenomenon: football-induced seismicity
Experts refer to this type of recording as seismicity induced by human activity. Although it is usually associated with explosions or large gatherings, football has repeatedly proven it can generate seismic waves. During the knockout stage of this World Cup, an accelerometer from the IGN in Algeciras already captured the vibrations from Mikel Merino's goal against Portugal. And in the Euro 2024, goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal also left their mark on stations in Madrid and Barcelona.
For the residents of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the news has a curious twist: their municipality appears on the seismic map of the celebration. The Educational Seismic Network, which includes sensors in schools and public spaces, recorded how thousands of people jumping at the same time generated small waves that traveled underground. Researcher Jordi Díaz explained that "the collective emotion turned into a measurable physical phenomenon", something that had already been observed in similar events.
The underground trace of the second star
Ferran Torres' goal will not only remain in the memory of fans but also in the seismic archives of the country. Algeciras, Cádiz, Granada, Huelva, Alcoy, Elda, Granollers, Barcelona, and Lleida were some of the cities where instruments detected the vibrations. In Catalonia, in addition to Santa Coloma, sensors in Mollet del Vallès and Banyoles also recorded significant peaks.
The image of millions of people jumping at the same time as Ferran Torres ran towards the corner of the stadium is the snapshot of a historic night. The second star of Spain has been inscribed underground, and the seismometers in the province of Barcelona attest to it. For the residents of Santa Coloma, knowing that their municipality was part of that seismic record adds a point of local pride to the sporting achievement.
The complete data from the study is available on the GEO3BCN-CSIC website, where the graphs of the recorded vibrations can be consulted. A scientific curiosity that demonstrates that, sometimes, emotion is also measured in waves.
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