The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has stated that an alert issued Thursday warning of a significant earthquake in northern Nevada was sent in error.
At 08:06 local time, the USGS initially reported a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in the vicinity of Carson City, the state capital. The alert prompted warnings as far away as the San Francisco Bay Area, nearly 200 miles distant, advising residents to take cover.
However, the agency retracted the alert within minutes, removing the associated entry from its official website.
“There was no M5.9 earthquake near Carson City, NV,” the USGS clarified via a post on X.
The USGS attributed the erroneous alert to a malfunction in its automatic earthquake detection system. They believe this to be the first instance of a completely false earthquake notification issued by the agency.
An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the system malfunction.
Multiple law enforcement agencies in cities and counties near the reported epicenter have confirmed that no ground movement was detected.
According to the Michigan Tech Earthquake Magnitude Scale, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake typically possesses the potential to cause noticeable shaking and minor property damage.
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