Euro 2024 and the two goals that shook Spain to its core – literally

Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal caused a seismic shift with their two goals on Sunday  – not just in terms of changing the momentum in Spain's Euro 2024 final, but on an actual geological level! 

According to National Geographic Institute (IGN) and the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), instruments captured tremors in both Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday, July 14. The times of records were remarkable: one shortly after 10:00 p.m. and another around 10:45 p.m local time, just when the team scored its goals.

In Barcelona, the tremors were recorded by a device located in Portal del Ángel, about 400 meters from where the fans were following the game, on a giant screen placed in Plaza Catalunya, reports El Periódico.

For their part, the tremors in Madrid were captured by the seismographs of the Royal Observatory of Madrid, which is a few kilometres from Plaza Colón, a place chosen by thousands of people to watch 'La Roja' challenge England for the Euros.

After the final whistle, there were a number of seismic disturbances. In this case, they reflected the celebrations of the victory of a fourth European championship, seismologist Jordi explained to Spanish publication Xataka.

In both cases, the strongest shocks coincide with the team's goals. The first by Nico Williams in the 47th minute. The second, by Mikel Oyarzabal, was at 86 minutes to break the tie and relieve the fans. However, in these cases, specialists use terms such as "tremors" or "vibrations", and do not talk about earthquakes in the strict sense, Xataka clarifed.

Williams' goal, off a pass from Lamine Yamal, triggered an tremor measuring 1 magnitude on the Richter scale. Oyarzabal's goal reached an intensity of between 1 and 2 on the same scale, according to El Periódico.

Photo: X @JDiazCusi

"Seismographs are very sensitive devices that can detect earthquakes on the other side of the world as well as small vibrations of the ground nearby," Jordi Díaz told Xataka. From the University of A Coruña they report that with less than 3.5 in magnitude, the tremors are recordable, but, in general, they are not felt."

According to La Vanguardia, Díaz pointed out that the tremors were stronger in Madrid than in Barcelona. That is directly related to the distance of the sensors from people and the number of people gathered. “It is our job to discern the origin of the vibrations, whether it is from an earthquake or from 10,000 people jumping near one of our instruments,” said the seismologist.

It's not just football games that make the earth shake. The phenomenon is more common than you can imagine. According to El Periódico, in the United States, for example, tremors of up to 2.3 on the Richter scale have been recorded associated with Taylor Swift concerts.

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