The seismometers of the CSIC's Educational Seismic Network recorded three peaks of vibration in Sabadell during the World Cup final that Spain won against Argentina. The final whistle was the most intense, followed by Ferran Torres' goal and an annulled goal.
The seismometers do not fail: the celebration of the Spanish football team's world title left its mark on the ground of Sabadell. According to data processed by researcher Jordi Díaz from the Geosciences Institute of Barcelona (Geo3Bcn-CSIC), the stations of the Educational Seismic Network captured three peaks of vibration clearly associated with key moments of the match.
A final whistle that shook the ground
The third peak, but the most intense, was recorded at 00:02 hours (peninsular time) on Monday, just when the referee blew the final whistle. Thousands of fans in Sabadell and other municipalities in the Vallès jumped and shouted in unison, causing a seismic signal that surpassed the previous ones. The stations in Mollet del Vallès and Santa Coloma de Gramenet also picked up the phenomenon.
The first peak occurred at 23:43 hours, when Ferran Torres put Spain ahead with a goal that unleashed joy in the clubs and homes of Sabadell. Shortly after, at 23:50 hours, an annulled goal generated another shake of lesser intensity, but still detectable by the sensors.
“The ground vibrations, caused by the simultaneous celebration of thousands of people, were captured by the networks of the National Geographic Institute and the Geological and Cartographic Institute of Catalonia,” explained the CSIC.
From the semi-final to the final: Sabadell, the epicentre of celebrations
This is not the first time that the seismometers in Sabadell have recorded football euphoria. During the semi-final against France, a seismometer in the city already detected the celebrations of goals by Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro, as well as a smaller vibration associated with an annulled goal. On that occasion, the signal was less intense, but sufficient for CSIC researchers to identify it as “seismic activity induced by fans.”
The phenomenon is not new. During the Euro 2024, the goals of Nico Williams and Oyarzabal made the stations in Madrid and Barcelona vibrate. Now, with the World Cup, technology has allowed for more precise measurements, and Sabadell has become a reference point for these records.
The data, collected by the Educational Seismic Network of Geosciences Barcelona, have also been detected at stations in Banyoles, Olot, and Torroella de Montgrí, demonstrating that the celebration was a collective phenomenon on a Catalan scale.
How is joy measured? The science behind the vibrations
Seismometers, designed to detect earthquakes, are capable of capturing ground movements caused by massive human activities. In this case, the jumps and shouts of the fans generated waves that the sensors interpreted as peaks of vibration. Researcher Jordi Díaz processed the records and confirmed that the three peaks exactly coincide with the moments of maximum tension and euphoria of the match.
For the residents of Sabadell, the news has a curious component: knowing that their celebration was so intense that it left a mark on scientific instruments. “It’s a way to measure the passion for football,” joked a CSIC spokesperson, who reminded that this data also serves to calibrate the sensitivity of seismic networks.
Researchers have highlighted that the most powerful signal occurred at the final whistle, when uncertainty transformed into collective joy. In Sabadell, as in the rest of Spain, the night of Sunday was long and noisy, and the seismometers attest to it.
For the curious, the data is available on the Educational Seismic Network's website, where vibration graphs can be consulted. A scientific way to relive the excitement of a historic title.
You may also like
