Earth-shaking victory: Ecstatic Sounders fans register on seismograph

SEATTLE -- The thunderous roars that came from CenturyLink Field celebrating the goals sealing the Seattle Sounders' second MLS Cup didn't just carry across Sodo and Pioneer Square.

They registered as seismic events.

The "SoundersFC Soccer Shake" experiment was conducted by the University of Washington's Pacific Northwest Seismic Network group. Seismologists placed a seismograph inside the stadium to measure the earth-moving cheers the Sounders fans had in the team's 3-1 victory over Toronto FC Sunday.

Sure enough, all three goals registered on the seismograph, though it seems to have been the second goal that topped the trio.

"At first glance, the second goal seem to have been stronger than the first but the third maybe not quite as strong," wrote Steve Malone with PNSN. "It has been challenging to try and keep up with what the fans were doing in the excitement of the game. It will take some additional analysis to understand all the different types of signals that we recorded and how strong due to what actions.

"Everyone knows that enthusiastic sports fans can be very loud, particularly when cheering for their home team," Malone said. "However, as seismologists we are not so interested in sound levels as we are in ground vibrations. Fans simply yelling will be of no interest to us; however their jumping up and down should generate vibrations in the stadium and even be transmitted through the ground to sites at some distance. The SounderFC fans are particularly well known for their synchronized rhythmic jumping together, which should generate very strong seismic signals."

The experiment, which is part of their routine training for rapid instrument installation and urban seismology, was born in the wake of the Seattle Seahawks home playoff game against the New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch rolled off an epic run that wound its way through the Saints defense, culminating in a touchdown that sent the stadium into a frenzy so loud it was picked up on neighboring seismographs. It became known in local lore as "Beast Quake".

It will take more analysis to see how the Sounders fans stacked up to the Lynch run, but both will forever remain epic moments for those who where there to create the mini-quakes.

"Congratulation Sounders and the great Sounder FANS!!" Malone wrote.

This article first appeared on KOMO NEWS.