USGS alert sent for Nevada earthquake that did not happen

An erroneous alert warning of a major Nevada earthquake reached as far as California before being withdrawn.

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At 08:06 local time, the USGS reported that a magnitude 5.9 earthquake had struck near Carson City, the state capital. The alert reached people nearly 200 miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area, triggering automatic warnings advising residents to drop for cover.

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

"There was no M5.9 earthquake near Carson City, NV," the USGS said on X.

The USGS said the alert originated from its automatic earthquake detection system, which had erroneously generated the report. It said it was believed to be the first time the agency has issued a completely false earthquake notification.