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During the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, cities in the United States and Canada within the path of totality recorded a drop in ground vibrations, revealing how the momentary pause in cars, construction, and urban activities left detectable marks on seismic sensors.
The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, caused a noticeable drop in ground vibrations in cities in the United States and Canada located within the path of totality. The change was identified in new research presented at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting, which pointed to a brief urban seismic silence as the Moon completely covered the Sun.
The observation came from Benjamin Fernando, a seismologist and planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University, who followed the phenomenon in an Ohio city. During the event, he noticed that the environment suddenly became silent and decided to investigate whether this sensation also appeared in the records of seismic stations.
Solar eclipse reduced vibrations in cities within the path of totality
The analysis gathered data from several hundred seismic stations throughout April 2024. The objective was to verify whether the passage of the total solar eclipse had caused any measurable alteration in the seismic noise associated with human activity.
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The results showed a clear pattern in cities located within the path of totality. Shortly before the eclipse reached its peak, seismic noise increased slightly, but dropped sharply when the Sun was completely covered by the Moon.
After totality ended, activity began to grow again. Noise levels rose again and even became slightly above the monthly average recorded by the analyzed stations.
Urban seismic noise comes from cars, construction, and crowds
Much of the background vibrations captured by seismic instruments originate from human activity. Construction, mining, busy roads, and large gatherings, such as concerts and sporting events, generate small vibrations that spread through the ground.
During the total solar eclipse, this urban routine was interrupted for a few moments in cities where the phenomenon could be seen in its entirety. With fewer cars on the streets and people reducing their daily activities, the vibration level dropped to the point of appearing clearly in the seismic data.
The behavior was not recorded everywhere. Rural regions did not show the same change, and cities outside the path of totality also did not experience a similar alteration.
Fernando cited the case of New York as an example of this difference. Even with 97% totality, the city did not show a perceptible change in the analyzed seismic records.
Study rules out link between solar eclipse and earthquakes
The data also reinforces that there is no evidence that eclipses are linked to the occurrence of earthquakes. The research addressed the idea that the alignment between the Sun, Moon, and Earth during an eclipse could trigger seismic tremors, but the records do not support this hypothesis.
Fernando stated that some people insist on the narrative that eclipses cause earthquakes. For him, the analyzed data offers another example that this link is not true.
The reduction observed during the total solar eclipse is related to the temporary drop in human activities in the affected cities. The recorded phenomenon was, therefore, a reflection of people’s behavior during totality, and not a direct action of the eclipse on the Earth’s crust.
Phenomenon recalls noise drop during the pandemic
The research also compared the reduction in seismic noise during the eclipse with another moment of sharp decrease in human activity. In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, anthropogenic seismic noise dropped by about 50% between March and May.
In the case of the total solar eclipse, the interruption was brief but sufficient to leave a signature on the instruments. Cities within the path of totality became momentarily quieter beneath the surface, revealing how rapid changes in urban routine can be detected by seismic sensors.
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