The roar of Scottish football fans was so powerful it literally registered as an earthquake, as the national team qualified for its first World Cup in 28 years with a 4-2 victory over Denmark.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded two distinct tremors emanating from Hampden Park in Glasgow on Wednesday night. The first, and largest, coincided with Kenny McLean’s decisive lob over the Danish goalkeeper in the 86th minute. A second spike in seismic activity followed moments later at the final whistle.
The celebrations by the 49,587-strong “Tartan Army” registered between magnitude -1 and zero on the Richter Scale. While classified as an “extremely small earthquake,” the energy released was substantial. The BGS calculated the power was equivalent to 200 kilowatts—enough to power dozens of car batteries or, in a more fitting comparison, equivalent to kicking a football at an impossible 2,000 miles per hour.
This is not the first time passionate Scottish fans have made the ground move; Taylor Swift’s concerts in Edinburgh last summer also generated measurable seismic activity. However, the BGS noted the events cannot be directly compared due to different locations and conditions.
For a nation that feels about 30 detectable natural earthquakes a year, this man-made tremor—born of pure jubilation—will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable.
By James Kisoo
