Last-minute goal celebrations caused a minor earthquake

Goal glee netted shockwaves

Leicester City’s success on the pitch has been sending shockwaves through the city – with the celebrations of fans being picked up by equipment used to detect earthquakes.

Supporters jumping up and down at the King Power Stadium when the Foxes nabbed an 89th minute winner against Norwich City caused a quake with a magnitude of 0.3, researchers have said.

The team are the surprise package in the Premier League this season and are clear at the top by five points with nine games left to play.

A group of students at Leicester University placed earthquake detecting equipment at a school near to ground and said Leonardo Ulloa’s last-gasp winner led to a spike in seismic activity.

Richard Hoyle, a first-year student from Leeds studying geological science, said: “We noticed large peaks on the seismogram during football matches being held in the stadium nearby.

“There was a strong correlation between the time Leicester scored and the occurrence of large seismic signals.

“We concluded that our equipment was actually measuring small earthquakes produced by the sudden energy release by the cheering Leicester fans celebrating at the moment a goal was scored.”

The phenomenon is being called the VardyQuake – despite top scorer Jamie Vardy not scoring since Leicester’s 2-1 away defeat to Arsenal on February 14.

The equipment works alongside a similar system in the basement of the university’s department of geology building and another recently installed set in the New Walk Museum in the city.

By measuring small earthquakes using this equipment – such as a 2.3 magnitude tremor in Thame on Sunday – the students are then able to calibrate the calculation for the quakes when Leicester score.

During last Tuesday’s match against West Bromwich Albion, a 0.1 quake was registered when Danny Drinkwater scored to level the game at 1-1.

Mr Hoyle said: “We are now curious to discover which footballer will generate the biggest seismic signal. Our money is on Vardy.”

Picture: Getty Images. Leonardo Ulloa celebrates his goal that caused the shockwaves.