"The U.S. Geological Survey quickly canceled the warning and posted a statement online that said there was no earthquake at all. "On December 4, 2025, the ShakeAlert EEW system released an incorrect alert for a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Reno and Carson City, Nevada," the statement read. "The event did not occur, and has been deleted from USGS websites and data feeds. The USGS is working to understand the cause of the false alert.""
"Berkeley's seismology team posted a statement to social media at 9:55 a.m. about the false alert by the MyShake system. "This system has delivered more than 170 real alerts since 2019 and this incident is both unprecedented and rare," MyShake said on X. Fortunately, there was no danger this morning, but this serves as a reminder that earthquake preparedness is essential."
Phones across Northern California received an emergency notice warning of a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Reno and Carson City that urged people to drop, cover and hold on. The U.S. Geological Survey canceled the warning, confirmed no earthquake occurred, deleted the false event from its feeds, and said it is investigating the cause. The MyShake app, developed at UC Berkeley's Seismology Lab and funded by Cal OES and used by four million Californians, called the incident unprecedented and rare. The alert prompted at least one TV station report and highlights the importance of earthquake preparedness.
Read at The Oaklandside
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]