Ed Sheeran and fans cause earthquake in Norway

Ed Sheeran’s music doesn’t just move hearts, it moves the ground too. During a recent concert at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Norway, the crowd’s enthusiastic response to his global hit Shape of You literally caused seismic activity. 

As Sheeran, 34, urged thousands of fans to jump in rhythm to the beat, sensitive seismic sensors in the area picked up noticeable vibrations, as per The Sun.

The Norsar foundation, a scientific organization originally established to detect earthquakes and nuclear explosions, recorded a spike in energy frequency between two and three hertz during the performance. 

According to one source, “When tens of thousands of people move in ­synchrony in this way, the vibrations propagate through the ground and are registered as small but clear signals by seismometers.” 

The impact was so significant that even earthquake-monitoring equipment picked up on the tremors. 

“When about 40,000 fans jump at the same time, even an earthquake station can’t help but dance a little,” the source added.

This isn’t the first time Sheeran’s live shows have registered on the seismic scale. 

In August 2023, during his concert at Seattle’s Lumen Field, the surprise appearance of local rapper Macklemore on stage sent fans into such a frenzy that it triggered a minor earthquake. 

The energy surged as the duo performed the upbeat track Can’t Hold Us.

At the time, Western Washington University geology professor Jackie Caplan-Auerbach noted, “Ed Sheeran is not someone who I associate with rampant crazy crowd behaviour. 

However, he did bring Macklemore onstage. So here you have a local artist playing Can’t Hold Us, which is a very jumpy song and a very high energy song, and the crowd responded appropriately, and it’s definitively the strongest shaking we saw.”

Sheeran remains one of the most successful musical artists of his generation, and his fan base is just as energetic. 

On Spotify, he ranks as the third most-followed artist globally. His hit Shape of You alone has been streamed 4.5 billion times, proof that his music continues to make waves, both digitally and literally.