On August 30th, 2023, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS) installed a seismometer in Rice-Eccles Stadium with the goal of recording ground shaking from the 50,000+ Utes Fans as they pack the stadium to cheer on the Utes during the 2023-2024 football season. The UUSS operates 200+ seismometers in Utah and the surrounding region to detect and locate seismic activity in the region. The mission of the UUSS is to “reduce the risk from earthquakes in Utah through research, education, and public service”. Although a seismometer’s primary role is to record earthquakes, these very sensitive instruments will detect any ground shaking, regardless of the source, including from rowdy Utes fans in Rice-Eccles Stadium. The instrument in the stadium successfully recorded large amplitude signals during Utah’s 24-11 victory against the University of Florida on the evening of August 31, 2023. UUSS will continue to record ground shaking from all home games during the 2023-2024 season and will be posting interesting findings to both our social media accounts (@UUSSquake) and to this website. Our social media posts will all have the #UteQuake hashtag. We hope this fun project will be interesting to you and will help you get an idea of what the UUSS does and the important role we play in reducing the seismic risk in Utah.

*Note: UteQuakes are not real earthquakes, they are measurements of ground motion caused by fans in the stadium.

For questions, please email Jamie Farrell at jamie.farrell@ utah.edu

Read the AtTheU article about UteQuake: