FanQuakes: Miami and OSU geologists collaborate to measure fan celebrations at Ohio stadium on a seismic scale

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By Susan Meikle, university news and communications
[embedded content]Sports fan and Miami University seismologist Mike Brudzinski is part of a team that is measuring fan-made seismic activity during football games at Ohio Stadium, the third largest football stadium in the United States. 
The FanQuakes project is a collaborative effort among Ohio State University, Miami University and the Ohio Geological Survey to measure how much Ohio State fans are "Shaking The Shoe." 
As fans jump up and down, the vibrations under the stands are measured by seismometers, the instruments used to measure the power of earthquakes.
The strongest FanQuake vibration registered this season was 5.79, after OSU's game-winning touchdown against rival Michigan in the double overtime game Nov. 26. The scale at the top of the screen on the video above (courtesy of Brudzinski) shows the shaking generated by fans jumping up and down.   
The measurements will be featured in classes at Ohio State so that undergraduates can engage with real-world data and connect it to an experience many of them have had in person.
“At a more advanced level, we’ll use the data to teach data reduction and collection as well as wave propagation, earthquakes and the local geology," said project leader Derek Sawyer, assistant professor of earth sciences at Ohio State. 
Several Miami students have already been involved in the data collection, including Miami doctoral student Shannon Fasola, who directs the field deployment of seismic instruments to study earthquake induced by oil and gas activities in eastern Ohio.  
"Scientists like sports, too," said Brudzinski, professor of geology and environmental earth sciences. "It's amazing how much you can learn about how the world works when you're having fun. We were inspired by the dedication of players, coaches and fans that all contribute to making exciting plays and corresponding FanQuakes."   

Maria Kozlowska (left), geology researcher, and Sarah Smith (right), geology master's ...

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