Liverpool's Premier League Win Triggered Seismic Tremors At Anfield

Liverpool's Premier League triumph was an earth-shattering event, and not only in the literal sense. Scientists recorded a peak magnitude of 1.74 on the Richter scale when Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister scored a screamer from the outside of the box to give advantage to the Reds in their 5-1 rout of Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield last Sunday (Apr 27).

Researchers from the University of Liverpool's Department of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences were present at the venue to measure ground movement from the crowd throughout the match. Using state-of-the-art seismic equipment, the same type of instrumentation used to monitor earthquake-prone regions such as Chile and Italy, the scientists made an astonishing discovery.

The data showed that the 60,415-strong crowd at Anfield generated real seismic activity. While Mac Allister's goal generated one of the biggest tremors, Liverpool's talisman, Mo Salah's second-half goal in front of the Kop was measured 1.60 on the Richter Scale, followed by Cody Gakpo's strike at 1.03. The own goal from Destiny Udogie 1.35 and Luis Diaz's initially disallowed equaliser 0.64 occupied the subsequent spots.

Also Read | Lone Soviet Satellite Plunging Towards Earth May Crash Like A Meteorite

'Sheer passion of Liverpool fans'

The study was conducted by Dr Antoine Septier, Dr Farnaz Kamranzad, and Professor Ben Edwards in partnership with the club.

"This experiment gave us a unique opportunity to use seismology to capture a scientific record of the magnitude of Liverpool's historic title-clinching win," said Mr Edwards/

"Much like natural seismic events, these goals produced bursts of ground-shaking, triggered by the sheer passion of Liverpool fans. Their enthusiasm was literally powerful enough to move the Earth."

Dr Antoine Septier added that he hoped the experiment would inspire a new generation of seismologists.

"I hope that showing this data will spark innovative ideas for potential applications, perhaps even to enhance the stadium experience," he said.

Following their win over Spurs, Liverpool clinched their 20th top-flight title, equalling arch-rival Manchester United's record. The Red managed to wrap the league with four matchdays remaining, as their closest rival, Arsenal, failed to put up any competition during the run-in.