U.S. Geological Survey warns of Nevada earthquake, but it doesn’t happen

A warning of a strong earthquake in northern Nevada issued Thursday was false, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

At 08:06 local time, the United States Geological Survey reported that a 5.9-magnitude earthquake occurred near Carson City, the state capital. The alert reached people nearly 200 miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area, triggering automated warnings advising residents to evacuate immediately.

However, the agency canceled the alert minutes later and removed the corresponding entry from its website.

“No M5.9 earthquake occurred near Carson City, Nevada,” the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said on X day.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the alert originated from its automated earthquake detection system, which erroneously generated the report. This is believed to be the first time the agency has issued a completely false earthquake notification.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the failure.

Multiple law enforcement agencies in cities and counties near the reported epicenter confirmed there was no ground activity.

According to the Michigan Technological University Earthquake Scale, a magnitude 5.9 quake is typically large enough to cause noticeable shaking and minor property damage.