News location:

Canberra Today 15°/17° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

ANU to measure ‘footy quake’ at Raiders game

The viking clap. Photo: NRL

A TEAM of scientists will measure a crowd’s ability to cause a ‘footy quake’ at this Sunday’s (August 14) Canberra Raiders NRL game.

Australian National University (ANU) Professor Malcolm Sambridge and his team of scientists will be taking specialised equipment to the Raiders game – against the St George Illawarra Dragons – to measure the seismic activity from the Viking Clap, as well as crowd reactions to big moments during play.

The scientists will install a seismometer underneath the stands, that can pick up both audio waves and those transmitted into the ground, like when fans stamp their feet.

Prof Sambridge says they’re hoping to be able to see a “footy quake” when a try is scored.

“It’s likely to be slightly bigger when the Raiders score, of course,” he said.

“It’s a general interest project for us, something we are curious to understand. But it’s also a fantastic way of connecting with the public and showing them what science can do.

“Measuring these shallow, human induced waves can come in handy when it comes to things like evaluating buildings and roads.”

Prof Sambridge and his team first tested the idea of measuring seismic activity at a Raiders game in 2017.

“We’re hoping to record Australia’s biggest ever footy quake this time,” he says.

The ANU team will share their results on social media via @AusisEdu

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews