AC/DC Concert Registers Seismic Activity in Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia – AC/DC rocked the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday night, November 12, as part of their Power Up tour, creating vibes strong enough to be detected by earthquake monitoring equipment. The landmark concert was the band’s first Australian show in a decade.

The Seismology Research Centre reported that the vibrations from the concert registered between 2 and 5 hertz, with recordings taken from their office in Richmond, located about three miles from the MCG. Chief scientist Adam Pascale explained that the powerful sound waves people felt resonated similarly to seismic activity.

“The sound waves that people were experiencing nearby and were feeling through their bodies are the equivalent to what our seismographs feel,” Pascale said. A resident six miles away even reported hearing the concert. “We’re picking up the ground motion, not the sound from the air,” he added. He noted that crowd movement also amplified the vibrations.

Pascale indicated that large crowds jumping in unison contribute significantly to the seismic signals. “If everyone’s sort of bouncing in unison, it tends to amplify the signal so we can pick it up a little bit better,” he said.

During the high-energy concert, AC/DC performed classic hits like “Back In Black,” “Thunderstruck,” and “Hells Bells” to a thrilled audience. The production utilized 300 tons of steel, 28 tons of speakers, and consumed 500 kilowatts of power each night.

AC/DC’s last tour in Australia was in 2015 and involved more than 520,000 tickets sold across multiple dates. Following the Melbourne show, the band is set to play in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane.

The Seismology Research Centre said AC/DC’s concert resulted in one of the strongest signals they have recorded from a music event, though it still fell short of the seismic readings from Taylor Swift‘s concerts at the same venue last year. The Environment Protection Authority received two noise complaints related to the event.