USGS Sparks Panic with False 5.9 Quake Alert

• A false earthquake alert for a magnitude 5.9 tremor in Nevada was issued by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• The erroneous warning was sent to residents as far as 200 miles away, including California's San Francisco Bay Area.
• USGS quickly retracted the alert, confirming it was a system malfunction and that no earthquake had actually occurred.
• The agency has launched an investigation into what it believes is the first time it has issued a completely false earthquake notification.

False Alarm Shakes Residents Across Two States

Residents in northern Nevada and parts of California were jolted on Thursday morning not by the ground shaking, but by a startling notification on their phones. At approximately 8:06 local time, the USGS's automatic earthquake detection system, ShakeAlert, issued a warning for a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near the state capital, Carson City, Nevada.

The alert, which advised residents to drop for cover, reached a wide audience, triggering alarms for people nearly 200 miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area. The sudden warning caused momentary confusion and concern, as a quake of that magnitude is significant enough to cause damage.

USGS Confirms System Malfunction

Within minutes of the initial alert, the USGS cancelled the warning and removed the event from its official website. The agency took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify the situation and quell any rising fears.

"There was no M5.9 earthquake near Carson City, NV," the USGS posted, confirming that the alert was sent in error. Multiple law enforcement agencies in the vicinity of the supposed epicenter also reported a complete absence of any seismic activity or ground movement, reinforcing that it was indeed a false alarm.

An Unprecedented Error

According to the USGS, this incident is believed to be a first-of-its-kind failure for their alert system. The agency stated that the erroneous report was generated by its automatic detection system, and it has never before issued a notification for an earthquake that simply did not happen. A full investigation is now underway to determine the root cause of the malfunction and to prevent similar false alarms in the future.

Understanding Earthquake Magnitudes

For context, a genuine magnitude 5.9 earthquake is considered strong. According to the Michigan Tech Earthquake Magnitude Scale, such a tremor is typically capable of causing noticeable shaking and slight damage to buildings and other structures, underscoring the seriousness of the alert had it been real.