UW seismic network to record how the 12s shake Lumen Field during playoffs

The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network says it has installed seismic sensors inside Lumen Field to measure ground motion created by Seahawks fans during the 2026 NFL Playoffs.

On Monday, Jan. 12, the network’s field operations team installed six seismic stations throughout the stadium.

The instruments are designed to capture energy produced by the collective movement of the 12s, the Seattle Seahawks’ well-known fan base, during Saturday’s playoff game.

“With these six seismometers, we have Lumen Field ‘wired up’ and we can record exactly how the excitement of the crowd leads to shaking of the ground, much like an earthquake does,” said PNSN Director Harold Tobin at the University of Washington. “We expect the massive crowd of 12s to generate measurable seismic energy. It’s a fun way to show the world exactly how much, in a scientific way, and to learn something about the seismic waves in the process.”

PNSN plans to stream results during the game through real-time seismograms on its website, pnsn.org.

The network will also share updates through its social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X and Bluesky.

The data will show how fan excitement appears as measurable seismic signals.

The project continues earlier in-stadium deployments during Seahawks playoff games in 2014, 2015 and 2017, as well as the 2011 “Beast Quake” run by Marshawn Lynch.

Those efforts have supported PNSN’s work to increase earthquake awareness in the Pacific Northwest.

Based at the University of Washington within the College of the Environment, PNSN operates more than 700 seismic stations across Washington and Oregon.

The network’s mission includes monitoring earthquakes, supporting research on regional earthquake hazards, and providing timely information to emergency managers, scientists and the public.

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