Total solar eclipse led to seismic quiet for cities within its path
A new study reveals that cities across the United States and Canada experienced a noticeable drop in ground vibrations during the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. Researchers presented the findings at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting, showing that urban areas within the "path of totality" briefly became seismically quieter as the Moon fully blocked the Sun.
Benjamin Fernando, a seismologist and planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University, happened to be in an Ohio city during the event. "And I noticed that all of a sudden everything went really quiet," he said. "So I was curious as to whether that was going to be replicated in the seismic data."
How Human Activity Shapes Seismic Noise
Seismic noise is not only caused by natural events. Much of it comes from everyday human activity, including construction, mining, traffic, and large gatherings like concerts or sporting events. All of these actions create small vibrations that travel through the ground.
To investigate the eclipse's impact, Fernando analyzed seismic data collected throughout April 2024 from several hundred monitoring stations. The results revealed a clear and repeatable pattern tied to the eclipse.
A Clear Pattern During Totality
In cities along the path of totality, seismic noise rose slightly just before the eclipse reached its peak. As the Sun became fully covered, those vibrations dropped sharply. Once totality ended, activity returned and noise levels climbed again, even slightly exceeding the monthly average.
This pattern was limited to urban areas directly in the path of totality. Rural regions did not show the same effect, and neither did cities just outside the path. "For example, in New York it was 97% totality, but nothing changed," Fernando explained.
A Shared Moment That Paused Daily Life
The findings suggest that the eclipse was more than just a visual spectacle. In cities where it was fully visible, people appeared to pause their usual routines, creating a measurable drop in human generated vibrations. Because cities normally produce a constant level of ground shaking, even a brief slowdown becomes easy to detect.
A similar effect was observed during Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, when reduced human activity led to a 50% drop in anthropogenic seismic noise between March and May of that year.
No Link Between Eclipses and Earthquakes
The study also helps address a common misconception. Some claims suggest that eclipses can trigger earthquakes due to the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth. However, the data provides no support for that idea.
"Folks for whatever reason sometimes push the narrative that eclipses cause earthquakes," Fernando said. "That's definitely not the case, and this is another demonstration of that."
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Seismological Society of America. "Total solar eclipse led to seismic quiet for cities within its path." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 April 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260417224457.htm>. Seismological Society of America. (2026, April 18). Total solar eclipse led to seismic quiet for cities within its path. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 18, 2026 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260417224457.htm Seismological Society of America. "Total solar eclipse led to seismic quiet for cities within its path." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260417224457.htm (accessed April 18, 2026).Explore More
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