THE NRL crowd in Canberra yesterday (August 14) measured a new “footy quake” record, with the ground moving at 15 micrometres per second.

In 2017, the Canberra Raiders played the St George Illawarra Dragons, where the first Australian National University (ANU) measurement of “footy quakes” was undertaken.

ANU Professor Malcolm Sambridge says yesterday’s footy quake measurement was 25 per cent larger than what they recorded in 2017.

“The crowd size was the same, against the same team as in 2017, but this time around they announced it and got everyone to clap together and stamp their feet so it was a bit more of a co-ordinated effort,” he says.

The team of scientists recorded the ground moving at 15 micrometres per second, up from the 12 micrometres recorded in 2017.

The Raiders also came away with a win, defeating the Dragons 24-22.

To simplify the explanation, prof Sambridge explains tectonic plates move about 10 centimetres in a year.

“So 15 micrometres per second is about a metre in a day and a half, but compared to tectonic plates it’s several thousand times faster,” he says.

“We accelerated the solid Earth ground underneath the stadium from the viking clap waves.

“I’m very pleased with the results, and pleased with the response. People got really into it. While it’s relatively small, one of the things we probably need to do now is make a footy quake magnitude so that we don’t have to say 15 micrometres per second.”

Prof Sambridge said it was a general interest project, something they were curious to understand.

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

“But it’s also a fantastic way of connecting with the public and showing them what science can do.”

ANU to measure ‘footy quake’ at Raiders game