There was no earthquake: ShakeAlert canceled after false alarm on Nevada temblor
A rare false alert from the U.S. Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert system jolted phones across California on Thursday morning, warning of a major earthquake that never happened.
The alert, issued just after 8 a.m., claimed a magnitude 5.9 earthquake had struck near Carson City, Nevada.
It was canceled within an hour, and the federal agency has since posted a notice to its main earthquakes page, saying that the “ShakeAlert EEW system released an incorrect alert for a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.”
“The event did not occur, and has been deleted from USGS websites and data feeds,” the notice said. “The USGS is working to understand the cause of the false alert.”
Christie Rowe, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, said the ShakeAlert system had issued 160 correct alerts, three false ones and missed 14 quakes since it launched in California about six years ago. The system also covers Oregon and Washington.
“This is the first time we’ve had an erroneous shake alert in my tenure here,” Rowe said. “I think the silver lining is we get to talk to people about earthquake safety and underscore the importance of including Nevada into the ShakeAlert program.”
Christine Goulet, the director of the USGS’s Earthquake Science Center, told The Sacramento Bee in an interview midday Thursday that the cause of the incorrect alert was unknown and that an investigation would likely take “a couple of days.” But she said that people “did the right thing” if they had dropped, covered and held on.
“This system is there to protect people, to give them a chance to take protective action,” Goulet said. “It’s always a good reminder to the population that if you get an alert, don’t wait for the shaking to start.”
This morning’s bogus earthquake report
The phantom 4-mile deep quake was reported at 8:06 a.m. near Dayton, a Lyon County outpost that is about a 20-mile drive from Carson City and a 45-mile drive from Reno, the USGS initially reported.
Still, the false alert spread widely. Phones buzzed with a message to “Drop! Cover! Hold On!” in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and as far south as Los Angeles.
“Got the Nevada earthquake alert on my phone, hopped on here because I’m close to the epicenter and didn’t feel a thing,” Eileen Carter wrote on X minutes after the alert. “Apparently it was a glitch?! I believe it because my house would have been SHAKING.”
The USGS also deleted an information page about the supposed tremor.
What to know about earthquakes
Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.
Quakes between magnitudes 2.5 and 5.4 are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech. Quakes below magnitude 2.5 are seldom felt by most people.
Earthquakes’ sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. They can happen anywhere, but they’re most common in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
How to stay safe during an earthquake
If an earthquake strikes, it’s best to protect yourself right away, the Department of Homeland Security said. Here are tips from experts:
- If you’re in a car: Pull over and stop. Set your parking brake.
- If you’re in bed: Turn face-down and cover your head with a pillow.
- If you’re outdoors: Stay away from buildings. Don’t go inside.
- If you’re inside: Stay and don’t run outdoors. Stay away from doorways.
The best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on, officials say.
“Wherever you are, drop down to your hands and knees and hold onto something sturdy,” officials say. “If you’re using a wheelchair or walker with a seat, make sure your wheels are locked and remain seated until the shaking stops.”
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible. If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows.
Once under a table, officials say you should hold on with one hand and be ready to move with it.
“There can be serious hazards after an earthquake, such as damage to the building, leaking gas and water lines, or downed power lines,” officials say. “Expect aftershocks to follow the main shock of an earthquake. Be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel an aftershock.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 11:35 AM with the headline "There was no earthquake: ShakeAlert canceled after false alarm on Nevada temblor."
